Human rights activists and friends of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi hold his pictures during a protest outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Two congressmen are seeking to rally lawmakers Friday to call on the Donald Trump administration to release intelligence that could indicate it had foreknowledge about a plot to abduct or kill a journalist before he went missing.
Representatives Ro Khanna of California and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin circulated a letter to members of congress that calls for Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats "to release information regarding the U.S. intelligence community’s advance knowledge of Saudi Arabia’s plot to capture journalist and American resident Jamal Khashoggi."
Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2. He has not been seen since entering the diplomatic building as fears have grown that he has been killed by Riyadh.
Khanna and Pocan are planning to send the letter to Coats next week.
The Washington Post, which Khashoggi was a columnist for, reported earlier this week the U.S. intercepted the communications of Saudi officials that allegedly indicated Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ordered an operation to detain Khashoggi.
The letter the Democratic congressmen are seeking to have their fellow representatives sign on to cites an intelligence community directive which specifies the community is "to warn both U.S. and non-U.S. persons of threats of serious bodily injury, kidnapping, and intentional killing."
"Given your office oversees the U.S. intelligence community’s duty-to-warn process, we seek urgent answers as to whether Mr. Khashoggi was in fact contacted about the credible threat to his life and liberty posed by the Saudi plot to capture him," the congressmen plan to write to Coats.
"Considering the profound ramifications of this potential crime, U.S. foreknowledge of Saudi plans to detain Mr. Khashoggi, and whether the U.S. intelligence community carried out its duty to warn, we intend to use the full force of Congressional oversight and investigatory powers to obtain these answers should they not be forthcoming," they will add.
The State Department earlier this week denied the U.S. had any "advance knowledge" of a plot to abduct Khashoggi, but when asked if had a duty to warn Khashoggi if it did, spokesman Robert Palladino declined to answer a "hypothetical question.”
On the same day Khashoggi arrived at the consulate, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was also inside, police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.
Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the UK -- have expressed their desire that the matter should be elucidated as soon as possible.
Saudi Arabia on Friday welcomed Turkey’s positive response to its request to form a joint committee to probe the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “Saudi Arabia commends the positive response from our brother country Turkey to its request to form a joint expert team to bring the Jamal Khashoggi case to light,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on its official Twitter account. “We firmly believe in the capability of the joint investigation team to complete the mission through cooperation.”The statement emphasized that Saudi Arabia gives great importance to the lives and security of its citizens no matter where they live.“Within the framework of close cooperation between Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and upon the suggestion of the Kingdom, a joint working team between Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be formed to investigate the case of Jamal in all its aspects," Turkish presidential aide Ibrahim Kalin said Thursday.Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2.On the same day that he arrived at the diplomatic building, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was also inside, police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the UK -- have expressed their desire that the matter should be elucidated as soon as possible.
Riyadh welcomes Turkey’s response to Khashoggi probe
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Saturday she has not canceled her plans to attend an elite Saudi investment conference later this month, but will be "very attentive" to any new information about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi."At this point in time, my intention is to not change my plan and to be very attentive to the information that is coming up in the next few days," she told a news conference when asked whether she would attend the conference after several media companies and business leaders pulled out."Horrifying things have been reported, and I am horrified," Lagarde said of media reports about Khashoggi's disappearance. "But I have to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners of the world and with many governments." France's Macron says Khashoggi affair worrying, will speak with Turks, SaudisSaudi Consulate in Istanbul bustles with activityIn final tweets, Khashoggi alluded to Palestine, SyriaTurkish security forces to dig up Istanbul sites in search of Khashoggi remainsSaudi delegation arrives in Ankara for Khashoggi probe
IMF chief attending Saudi conference, watching for news of journalist
Major U.S. defense contractors have expressed concern to the Trump administration that lawmakers angered by the disappearance of a Saudi journalist in Turkey will block further arms deals with Saudi Arabia, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on Friday.Turkish reports that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a vocal critic of Riyadh, was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul have hardened resistance in the U.S. Congress to selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, already a sore point for many lawmakers concerned about the Saudi role in Yemen's civil war.U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was wary of halting arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the case as the key U.S. ally would just shift its weapons purchases to Russia and China.In Congress, Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans, have said the Khashoggi case had heightened resistance to moving ahead with Saudi weapons sales that could be worth tens of billions of dollars.Trump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investmentsEven before that, Democratic U.S. lawmakers had placed "holds" on at least four military equipment deals, largely because of Saudi attacks that killed Yemeni civilians."They've had holds on major systems for months for Yemen issues," the senior administration official said. "This makes it more likely they'll expand holds to include systems that aren't necessarily controversial by themselves. It's a major concern."The U.S. official declined to name the companies that had contacted the administration over the fate of their Saudi deals. Defense contractors did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co have been the most active U.S. defense companies with potential sales to Saudi Arabia since a $110 billion package of arms deals with the country was announced by the Trump administration in May 2017.Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to get documents for his forthcoming marriage. Saudi officials say he left shortly afterwards but Turkish officials and his fiancee, who was waiting outside, said he never came out.Turkish sources have told Reuters the initial assessment of the police was that Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, was deliberately killed inside the consulate. Riyadh has dismissed the allegations as baseless.
US arms makers express concern to Trump admin about Saudi deals