Senate Democrats harshly criticized President Donald Trump for failing to blame Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, even after the CIA’s finding that he was responsible, The Hill reported on Tuesday.
Although the Trump administration last week announced sanctions against 17 Saudis reportedly involved in the murder, the president said Tuesday that King Salman and the crown prince “vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution” of Khashoggi’s murder.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, lashed out at the president.
"Given the fact that Saudi security organizations are under the absolute control of the crown prince, there’s every reason to believe the crown prince gave the order," she said, adding that "media reports now say the CIA is confident the crown prince directed Khashoggi's murder. To allow this to happen with no consequences is offensive to every value the United States holds dear.”
Another top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Ron Wyden, said “giving the Saudis a free pass here reveals this administration’s crippling weakness, even in the face of the murder of a journalist and U.S. resident."
He reiterated his call for CIA Director Gina Haspel and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to disclose publicly what is know about Khashoggi’s death. Wyden also plans to introduce legislation requiring the intelligence community to release an unclassified public assessment of what happened.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the Foreign Relations panel, bemoaned “Trump’s habit of siding with murderous foreign dictators over American intelligence professionals,” calling his response to Khashoggi’s death “a stain on our democracy that undermines the American ideal.”
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