Though details remain confidential, the response of Capitol Hill to the latest CIA briefing in the Jamal Khashoggi case suggests that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be more liable than previously suspected.
CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed Senate leaders on Tuesday in regards to the situation. Haspel's task was to provide the senators with the appropriate information in order for the proper response as regards the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States to be assessed. In October, Haspel flew to Ankara to hear audio recordings of Khashoggi's murder firsthand.
Intercepted as he left the meeting, Lindsey Graham told reporters that "MBS, the crown prince, is a wrecking ball, I think he is complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi to the highest level possible." For Graham, the CIA briefing confirmed his belief that "it was virtually impossible for an operation like this to be carried out without the crown prince's knowledge."
Senator Bob Corker affirmed Graham's confidence, claiming that if the crown prince "was in front of a jury, he would be convicted in 30 minutes."
"There's not a smoking gun, there's a smoking saw," he added, referring to the bone saw that was allegedly used to dismember Mr. Khashoggi's body inside of the Saudi consulate. The comment is a rebuke to statements made by Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who has insisted upon a lack of a "smoking gun" to suggest the prince's culpability in the case.
Indeed, the latest statements from the White House derogate from the response of Graham and his fellow senators and stand by Mattis's statement. President Trump's statements on the topic have been vague and contradictory. In October, the Guardian reported Trump to have said that "the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. He's running things and so if anybody were going to be [culpable], it would be him." On November 20, however, he asserted that "We're with Saudi Arabia," characterizing breaking off relations as "a terrible mistake." In the same report, addressing the prince himself, his opinion was indeterminate: "maybe he did and maybe he didn't!"
Though Trump has in a way affirmed the personal guilt of Prince Salman, the question remains as to whether he considers that of weight where trade relations are concerned. His November statement points to the negative; however, push from the Senate after Haspel's briefing may push otherwise.
