Turkey’s Erdogan questions lack of video footage in Saudi journalist’s disappearance

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday questioned claims from Saudi officials that the country’s consulate in Istanbul only has cameras that record live footage as Turkey looks into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Reuters reported that Erdoğan told reporters that Turkey is “investigating all aspects” of Khashoggi’s disappearance. The Washington Post contributor and vocal critic of the Saudi government was last seen entering the consulate in Istanbul, but was not seen leaving.

“Is it possible for there to be no camera systems at the Saudi Arabia consulate, where the event took place?,” Erdoğan, said, according to local news reports.

{mosads}The Turkish president expressed skepticism over statements by Saudi officials that their cameras only provide live feeds, and therefore can’t be used to look at recorded footage from when Khashoggi was last seen. 

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told The Daily Beast that he received a similar explanation about the cameras from the Saudi ambassador.

“I’ve never ever heard of a security system like that,” Corker said. “That was pretty hard for me to believe. And I shared that with him.”

Khashoggi has been missing since last week. Turkish officials have reportedly concluded that he was murdered at the consulate and that his body was dismembered on orders from Saudi leadership.

Saudi officials have denied the allegations.

President Trump on Wednesday said that he’d spoken with Saudi leadership at the “highest level” about Khashoggi, but would not speculate about whether the country should be held responsible if reports of the journalist’s death are accurate.

National security adviser John Bolton and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner phoned Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Tuesday to ask for information about Khashoggi, according to the White House.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then had a follow-up call with the crown prince, who has close ties to several Trump administration officials, including Kushner.

Khashoggi’s disappearance has prompted an outcry from numerous U.S. lawmakers, with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee invoking sanctions legislation on Wednesday that requires trump to investigate his whereabouts.