House to receive briefing on Khashoggi

House lawmakers will receive an intelligence briefing from the administration next week on the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, though it’s unclear whether CIA Director Gina Haspel will attend.

The all-House briefing on Saudi Arabia and Yemen is scheduled for Dec. 13 at 9 a.m., but the presenters have not yet been determined, according to a Democratic aide.

{mosads}Senators were already briefed last week by Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, where they received a presentation on Khashoggi’s slaying, U.S.-Saudi relations and the Yemen civil war. But senators were furious that they didn’t hear directly from Haspel.

Lawmakers ended up voting 63-37 to advance a resolution ending U.S. military support for the Saudis in the Yemen conflict, a sharp rebuke of President Trump.

The administration, hoping to quell the bipartisan outrage and stave off potential congressional action, agreed to dispatch Haspel to brief key senators on Tuesday.

But if Haspel confirms reports that the CIA concluded the crown prince of Saudi Arabia ordered the killing of Khashoggi, the briefing could actually give more fodder to senators who are demanding tougher action against the kingdom.