Corker says US will ‘respond accordingly’ to countries targeting journalists amid columnist’s disappearance

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Monday said the U.S. will “respond accordingly” to countries that target journalists as officials investigate the disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi.

Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote in a tweet that he has personally raised Khashoggi’s disappearance with the Saudi ambassador, and is awaiting more information.

Our thoughts are with #JamalKhashoggi’s family and colleagues at the @washingtonpost. I have raised Jamal’s disappearance personally with the Saudi ambassador, and while we await more information, know we will respond accordingly to any state that targets journalists abroad.

— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 8, 2018

Turkish officials believe Khashoggi, who was a Washington Post contributor and a regular critic of Saudi leadership, was killed while visiting the Saudi consulate. He went missing after visiting the consulate to complete paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancee, The Associated Press reported.

{mosads}The Saudi Arabian U.S. Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Corker is one of the most prominent U.S. officials to speak out about Khashoggi’s disappearance to date.

Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Christopher Coons (D-Del.), as well as Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), have all highlighted Khashoggi’s case since he was first reported missing last week, with Murphy suggesting the U.S. should reconsider its relationship with Saudi Arabia in light of the missing journalist. 

If this is true – that the Saudis lured a U.S. resident into their consulate and murdered him – it should represent a fundamental break in our relationship with Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/hgCchEZRtJ

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) October 6, 2018

Have the Saudis killed their leading dissident and critic of their war in Yemen? https://t.co/eFpCOepcac

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 7, 2018

Reports that @washingtonpost journalist @JKhashoggi was murdered while visiting a Saudi consulate in Turkey demand immediate answers from @saudiarabia. @FBI and @StateDept must take immediate action to investigate and raise his case with the highest levels of the Saudi Govt.

— Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) October 6, 2018

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday said that he is personally following the case.

The Turkish government on Monday summoned the country’s Saudi ambassador to request “full cooperation” from Saudi Arabian leadership in the investigation, and to gain permission to search the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The Washington Post in an editorial on Friday contextualized Khashoggi’s disappearance as part of a broader Saudi effort to silence critics. The newspaper also left a column of its editorial section blank to acknowledge Khashoggi’s absence.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) weighed in on the matter Monday while speaking at the National Press Club in Washington.

“I think it’s very disturbing,” Ryan said about Khashoggi’s disappearance. “It’s very unnerving. We just need to get the clear facts.”

Scott Wong contributed.

Updated at 6:03 p.m.