Khashoggi death: US Senate not convinced by Trump’s defence of Saudi crown prince

Washington, Nov 29: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday, November 28, failed to convince senators about President Donald Trump defending Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of dissenting journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Senate has been demanding to hear about the incident directly from the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) about who directed the murder of the 59-year-old journalist.

The CIA said recently that it was Salman who ordered Khashoggi's elimination though Trump later tried to play it down saying the intelligence agency did not conclude that the Saudi crown prince was behind the assassination that took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2.

Salman has come under global scanner over the gruesome assassination of the journalist who was known to be a critic of Riyadh regime.

"But Trump, citing the importance of Saudi cooperation against Iran and multi-billion-dollar arms deals, has dismissed the allegations against bin Salman, including reported assessments from the CIA," reported Politico.

The impact of the assassination could touch the upcoming G-20 summit in Argentina where Trump might meet Salman informally.

The Congress has been demanding accountability over the matter with lawmakers from both parties seeking a briefing from CIA Director Gina Haspel who was absent at the session on Wednesday despite investigating Khashoggi's death and having listened to the murder's audio recording.