Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to meet with King Salman amid unconfirmed reports the Saudis are preparing to acknowledge journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed during an interrogation that went terribly wrong.
U.S. resident and Washington Post contributor Khashoggi vanished two weeks ago while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkey says it has evidence Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the diplomatic compound, but Saudi officials have called the allegations “baseless.” However, according to reports by CNN and the New York Times, the Saudi government may soon release a report claiming Khashoggi was accidentally killed as a result of a planned rendition back to Saudi Arabia.
It’s not clear if the report, which the Saudis have not confirmed, will claim that the operation was conducted without clearance at the highest levels from King Salman and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the oil-rich kingdom’s de facto ruler, or whether it will admit that the killing took place, that the king or crown prince ordered the abduction but that Khashoggi’s death was caused by a bungled interrogation.
It’s also not clear how well any attempt by the Saudi leadership to absolve themselves of any alleged responsibility for Khashoggi’s killing by claiming rogue operatives were to blame will be accepted internationally. Khashoggi wrote critically of the Saudi monarchy. A number of powerful U.S. executives have already said they are pulling out of an investment summit in Riyadh later this month because of the case and several U.S. senators from both sides of the political aisle have pledged action against Saudi Arabia if it’s determined that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate.
Pompeo was dispatched to Saudi Arabia by President Donald Trump, who previously warned of “severe punishment” for the kingdom if it was found to be involved in Khashoggi’s disappearance. Yet Trump has also said, without providing any evidence, that the alleged slaying could have been carried out by “rogue killers.”
A lot is potentially at stake for longstanding close U.S.-Saudi Arabia ties.
Not only is Saudi Arabia a dominant player in global oil markets. It is also a major buyer of U.S. arms and has played a key role in Washington’s Middle East foreign policy, including anti-terrorism efforts and acting as a reliable bulwark against Iran.
As pressure grows on the Saudis to explain Khashoggi’s disappearance, Turkish police searched the Saudi consulate in Istanbul overnight Monday and announced Tuesday that the Saudi consul’s home in Istanbul would also be searched. Pompeo, meanwhile, is expected to travel to Turkey after his meetings with the king and crown prince.
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