[A]s public attention continues to focus on the disappearance and alleged killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi earlier this month, the Vermont congressional delegation has stepped up the pressure on President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia.
Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., joined eight other House members Tuesday in introducing legislation to halt military aid and arms sales to the Saudi government in light of that country’s connection to Khashoggi’s disappearance. He had last been seen on a surveillance camera entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he had been seeking a document required for his upcoming marriage.
In a statement, Welch said the U.S. can no longer support Saudi Arabia after the country was at at least “complicit” in the apparent killing of Khashoggi, who was a fierce critic of the Saudi government, and Saudi Arabia’s ongoing military campaign in Yemen.
“For too long the United States has blindly supported a Saudi Government engaged in a horrific campaign against the people of Yemen,” Welch said, “it is long past time to stop military assistance and the sale of arms to this brutal dictatorship.”
The legislation would prohibit U.S. military aid and arms sales to the Saudis if Secretary of State Mike Pompeo determines that Khashoggi was killed by agents of the Saudi government. The measure also stipulates that congressional approval would be required to reinstate weapons sales.
Turkish officials were said to have leaked an audio recording from the Saudi consulate that details how the assassins severed Khashoggi’s fingers and later beheaded and dismembered him, according to Turkish news media on Wednesday and confirmed by the New York Times.
Turkish officials have also said there is evidence that 15 Saudi agents flew into Istanbul, assassinated Khashoggi, and flew out the same day on private jets chartered by a Saudi company with close ties to the Saudi crown prince, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
On Friday, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said on Twitter that it is time to “re-evaluate the U.S.-Saudi relationship” and that finding out what happened to Khashoggi is “more important than defense contractor profits.”
Earlier, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., joined a bipartisan group of senators in signing a letter mandating the Trump administration to investigate Khashoggi’s disappearance.
Both Sanders and Leahy have also long opposed U.S. involvement in the civil war in Yemen and the Saudi-led campaign that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians there.
Trump has said publicly he is investigating Khashoggi’s disappearance, but it is unclear what consequences Saudi Arabia would face from Trump.
Just spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate. He was with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018
Trump tweeted on Tuesday that he had spoken with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and that he “totally denied any knowledge of what took place” with Khashoggi. Trump also said that Pompeo was in the midst of a “full and complete” investigation into the incident.
This statement came just a day after the president had said it was possible Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with Khashoggi’s disappearance and that he was instead a victim of “rogue killers.”
Trump has come under fire in recent days for alleged business interests in Saudi Arabia that may complicate his decision-making on whether to apply pressure on the Saudi government.
On Wednesday, Leahy and eight senators wrote to Trump and his sons requesting a full account of any financial ties between the Trump Organization and Saudi Arabia.
“It is imperative that this sanctions determination, and U.S. policy towards Saudi Arabia generally, are not influenced by any conflicts of interest that may exist because of your or your family’s deep financial ties to Saudi Arabia,” Leahy and the other senators wrote.
The senators have given the Trumps until mid-November to provide documents and answers to questions regarding business dealing with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi government.
Trump has denied he has any businesses in Saudi Arabia, tweeting on Tuesday that he has “no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter).”
For the record, I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter). Any suggestion that I have is just more FAKE NEWS (of which there is plenty)!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018
But in the letter, Leahy and the senators note that “according to public reports, the Trump Organization for decades has maintained business relationships with the government of Saudi Arabia and members of the Saudi royal family.”
In a statement, Leahy said the disappearance of Khashoggi illustrates the “ruthlessness of the Saudi government” as well as demonstrating how Trump’s rhetoric about journalists poses a threat to reporters across the world.
“Democracies cannot survive without a free press, which is why autocratic governments resort to arbitrary arrest, torture, and murder to silence the press. Yet, President Trump has demonized the press, calling it ‘the enemy,’” Leahy said. “His attacks on the press are a threat to our democracy, and they have provided an excuse to the world’s dictators — like the Saudi royal family — to crack down on the press.”
