Trump on Khashoggi: It Appears He Is Dead, Consequences May Be ‘Severe’

Local Editor

Commenting on the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US President Donald Trump said he presumes that he is dead, adding that the consequences for Saudi Arabia could be “very severe” if its leaders are found to have ordered the journalist’s killing.

Trump made the remarks after being briefed on the investigation by his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, on the latter’s return from a trip to Riyadh and Ankara.

In another sign the Trump administration was dropping its defense of Riyadh and beginning to distance itself from the Saudi monarchy over Khashoggi’s suspected murder, the treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, announced he would not attend this week’s government-sponsored investment conference in the Saudi capital, joining a growing exodus of western corporate leaders and politicians.

Trump also ended his administration’s refusal to discuss Khashoggi’s fate.

Asked whether he thought to Saudi exile was dead, Trump told reporters: “It certainly looks that way to me. It’s very sad. It certainly looks that way.”

As to the US response if Saudi Arabia’s rulers were found to have been responsible for what appears to have been a grisly murder in the country’s Istanbul consulate, Trump said: “Well, it’ll have to be very severe. I mean, it’s bad, bad stuff. But we’ll see what happens.”

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team