McConnell says Congress will respond to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) didn't mince words on Tuesday while discussing Saudi Arabia's role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In October, Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to pick up a paper for his upcoming wedding, and once inside, a visiting Saudi hit squad killed him. The CIA has "high confidence" the murder was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. McConnell called the killing "completely abhorrent to everything the United States holds dear and stands for in the world. So some kind of response to that certainly would be in order, and we're discussing what the appropriate response should be." This could include sanctioning Saudi officials or placing restrictions on future arms sales, NPR reports.
In an interview Tuesday with The Washington Post, President Trump refused to pin Khashoggi's murder on the crown prince. "Maybe he did and maybe he didn't" order it, Trump said. "But he denies it. And people around him deny it. And the CIA did not say affirmatively he did it, either, by the way. I'm not saying that they're saying he didn't do it, but they didn't say it affirmatively."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood
Speed Read The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling
-
Trump contradicts Israel, says 'starvation' in Gaza
Speed Read The president suggests Israel could be doing more to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office