A pair of senators on Tuesday triggered sanctions legislation to require the Trump administration to specifically address whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, demanded the determination hours after President Trump addressed the issue.
Trump indicated that he would not severely punish the kingdom or the crown prince over the incident, stressing that U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations were too important to throw into doubt over Khashoggi’s killing last month.{mosads}
The president’s comments pushed Corker and Menendez to request that the administration conduct a second investigation under the Global Magnitsky Act, this time focusing specifically on the crown prince’s culpability in Khashoggi’s death.
“In light of recent developments, including the Saudi government’s acknowledgement that Saudi officials killed Mr. Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate, we request that your determination specifically address whether Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman is responsible for Mr. Khashoggi’s murder,” they wrote.
The administration has 120 days to respond with a determination under the Magnitsky law.
The lawmakers previously invoked the Magnitsky Act in October to trigger an investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
In response to that review, the Trump administration sanctioned 17 individuals for their alleged roles in Khashoggi’s death.
Trump indicated on Tuesday that he would not dole out additional punishment on his own against Saudi Arabia, arguing that the country is too valuable an ally economically and in the Middle East.
The president also refused to hold the crown prince accountable for Khashoggi’s death, despite the CIA concluding the leader ordered his killing, according to multiple media reports last week.
“Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” the president said, adding that “we may never know” who was responsible.
Corker, Menendez and numerous other senators ripped Trump for his comments Tuesday about Khashoggi’s killing.
“I never thought I’d see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” Corker wrote on Twitter.