After a closed-door briefing between the senators and CIA director on Tuesday, it accused Saudi Arabia crown prince Mohammed bin Salem of complicity in journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
Lawmakers said evidences obtained through the United states spy agency referred the involvement of Salem in the conspiracy of Khashoggi’s murder.
Referring to the probe against Salem in the conspiracy of Khashoggi’s murder, Sen. Lindsey O Graham said, “There’s not a smoking gun, there’s a smoking saw,” adding that a team of Saudi agents has dismembered Khashoggi’s body after he was killed in Saudi’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
Graham said due to the involvement of Salem in the killing of Khashoggi, the relation of US-Saudi Arabia is suffering breaching. Graham ensure that he would not allow any sale of arms to the Saudi as long as Salem was in-charge.
Graham said, “Saudi Arabia’s a strategic ally and the relationship is worth saving – but not at all costs.”
The accusations made by Graham and lawmakers went strong because of the reports presented by CIA director Gina Haspel, who lay down classified assessment which were based on multiples of sources, which indicated that Salem has ordered the killing of Khashoggi and was a part of the Saudi team in the process.
Sen. Richard C Shelby said, “This just confirmed what I thought all along: This all leads up to the crown prince.”
However, US President Donald Trump, secretary of state Mike Pompeo and defence secretary Jim Mattis with other members of the administration has insisted that no evidence relates to the involvement of Salem in the killing of Khashoggi. But the senators disagreed to them saying the evidence they heard was pointing Salem with no doubts.
Chairmen of the committee on foreign relations, Sen. Bob Corker said, “If the Crown Prince went in front of a jury, he would be convicted in 30 minutes.”
Graham claimed, “I think Secretary Pompeo and Mattis are following the lead of the president,” adding, “It is zero chance, zero, that this happened in such an organized fashion without the crown prince.”
Graham launched a scathing attack on Trump and those who were in favour of Trump’s knowledge that Salem was not involved in the murder, Graham said, “The reason they don’t draw the conclusion that he’s complicit is because the administration doesn’t want to go down that road – not because there’s no evidence to suggest it.”