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CIA Says Crown Prince Ordered Khashoggi Murder

HeadlineNov 19, 2018

The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2 and was never seen again. CIA Director Gina Haspel was played the audiotape of Khashoggi’s murder while in Istanbul last month, but President Trump has said he doesn’t want to listen to the recording, “Because it’s a suffering tape.” President Trump responded to the CIA’s findings Saturday, calling them “very premature”—while conceding that it was possible that Crown Prince bin Salman was responsible for Khashoggi’s death. Trump has repeatedly echoed Saudi claims that the crown prince had no knowledge of Khashoggi’s murder. The State Department said in a statement the U.S. government has not yet reached a conclusion about the killing. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo—a strong Trump ally—is the former head of the CIA. This came as a top White House official involved in U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia resigned Friday evening. Kirsten Fontenrose had pushed for tough sanctions against the Saudis in response to Khashoggi’s murder. Jamal Khashoggi was a Washington Post columnist.

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