World News

President Trump calls Jamal Khashoggi’s death ‘a plot gone awry’

322

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE – President Donald Trump on Monday questioned the account Saudi officials have given him about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but said he still believed it was “a plot gone awry.” In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, he indicated he would oppose efforts to cease arms sales to the kingdom in response.

There are “many other” potential penalties, he said, saying he would be guided by consultations with key members of Congress in settling on the appropriate response, likening it to the discussions he had with Senate Republicans during the Supreme Court confirmation battle over Brett Kavanaugh.

In characterizing the Khashoggi incident as a “plot gone awry,” Trump indicated that he thought the journalist wasn’t deliberately lured into the consulate to be murdered. Saudi officials last week said Khashoggi’s death followed a “brawl” inside the building, an explanation that drew skepticism from some on Capitol Hill.

Trump questioned the validity of at least one detail that has emerged from the incident. Turkish officials have said Khashoggi’s body was cut up with a bone saw. Asked about that detail as a possible indication of wrongdoing, Trump sounded incredulous.

“Do you know there was a bone saw?” he replied.

Trump was expansive during an interview in his office aboard Air Force One as he flew to a rally in Houston for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, in a surprisingly competitive race for re-election. Occasionally watching himself on a wall-mounted TV tuned to Fox News, he expressed optimism about the midterm elections and discussed his agenda when the new Congress takes over.

Trump said he had talked on the phone with both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and that more details about what happened inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey would be known within a day or two.

“He says he is not involved nor is the king,” Trump said of the Saudi crown prince, declining to answer whether he believed his denials. If their involvement was proven, “I would be very upset about it. We’ll have to see.”

He called the killing of Khashoggi, a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, “foolish and stupid.”

But he said billions of dollars in U.S. arms sales to the Saudis were an economic boon to Americans and a transaction that Russian and Chinese companies would be delighted to make, if the United States ended them. “We have a very big picture we have to keep in mind,” he said, noting also Saudi Arabia’s role in countering Iran’s influence in the Middle East.

Critics, including some Republicans, have questioned the Trump’s administration’s response to what has become a global diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and a close ally in the Middle East. Some have suggested the incident could not have occurred without Salman’s knowledge.

Trump has vacillated between criticizing a rush to judgment over what happened and trying to pacify critics who think he should take a much stronger stance, potentially by imposing sanctions. Before boarding Air Force One, Trump told reporters at the White House that he was “not satisfied” with the Saudi response so far.

USATODAY

Leave a comment

Related Articles

US Grants Asylum to Over 800 Nigerians in Two Years

Over the past two years, 897 Nigerians were granted asylum in the...

400,000 followers bid farewell to ‘Pope Among People’ in Rome

By Daniel Okejeme with agency report In a testament to his global...

ECOWAS begins relocation of its offices from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso

Following the recent withdrawal of the three Sahelian nations from the regional...

China signals openness to US trade talks

A potential breakthrough in trade talks between the US and China emerged...

Just in: ECOWAS Convenes in Ghana to Address Exit of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member states will meet...

Coup Foiled in Burkina Faso, Military Junta Points to Exiled Officers in Ivory Coast

Burkina Faso’s military government says it has thwarted a “major coup plot”...

US Supreme Court Blocks Trump’s Deportation Plan for Venezuelan Migrants

The US Supreme Court, in a dramatic nighttime intervention on Saturday, blocked...

Arsonist sets fire to US Pennsylvania governor’s residence, ex-Pres. Joe Biden fumes

A suspected arsonist on Sunday broke into the residence of Pennsylvania Governor,...

As trade war escalates, China slaps US with 125% retaliatory tariffs

President Xi Jinping of China China has increased its retaliatory tariffs on...

Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister advocates stronger Nigeria-China relationship, amid global uncertainty

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb.Yusuf Tuggar, has emphasized the importance of...

U.S-China tariff war can slash trade by 80%, WTO DG warns

As the trade war between the United States of America and China...

Niger Republic military junta jettisons French, adopts Hausa as national language

Niger Republic’s military government has made a significant move to distance itself...

Coup Scare As VOA Halts Radio Operations In Nigeria, Ghana, Other W/A Countries

Panic swept through northern Nigeria and neighboring West African countries after Voice...

Trump Unveils Sweeping Trade Tariff Plan, Redefining Global Commerce

In a move that could significantly impact global trade, U.S. President Donald...

Skyscraper Collapses in Thailand After Powerful Earthquake Hits Region, Multiple People Trapped

A high-rise building still under construction in Bangkok collapsed after a powerful...

Just In: Boxing Legend, Olympian George Foreman Passes Away at 76

George Foreman, the two-time heavyweight boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist, has...

Heathrow Airport Shut Down After Major Fire at Electrical Substation

By Sam Akpan with agency report Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow, was shut...

Uranium-Rich Namibia to Swear in First Female President

Southern Africa’s desert nation of Namibia swears in its first woman President...

South African Ambassador Expelled by US Amid Trump Criticism Fallout

United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has announced that President Donald...

Green card holders, foreign students may be deported if … – US VP Vance

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has reaffirmed the Trump administration’s tough stance...