CIA Director Gina Haspel to brief Trump on Khashoggi killing
CIA Director Gina Haspel will brief President Trump Thursday on what she has learned about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed Thursday morning.
Haspel visited Turkey to investigate Khashoggi's death, and the Washington Post reported late Wednesday that Haspel, while in Turkey, heard audio allegedly produced during the columnist's interrogation and murder. President Trump has called the "cover-up" of Khashoggi's death one of the "worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups," and said he'll consult Congress on what to do about the Saudis in response. The State Department has already announced it will revoke the visas of 21 Saudis suspected to be connected to Khashoggi's death.
Sanders told reporters on the White House driveway Thursday morning that Haspel is meeting with the president at his regular intelligence briefing at 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Trump, while he has threatened severe consequences for those responsible for Khashoggi's death, has expressed a reluctance to halt arms sales with the Saudis, emphasizing the economic importance of those transactions to the United States' economy. The president has generally taken a wait-and-see approach to Khashoggi's death, saying he wants all the facts in the case first. Haspel has not spoken publicly since her return from Turkey.
Khashoggi, a known critic of the Saudi crown prince, was a known critic of the crown prince, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate earlier this month. The Saudis on Friday admitted he died within their consulate, after first saying he walked out, and alleged he was killed in a fist fight that broke out during his visit.
It's unclear when the president will make a final determination on the Khashoggi case.
