CIA reports to US President about journalist Khashoggi case

On his flight to California to inspect the forest fires, US President Donald Trump was briefed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) yesterday about the murder of journalist Khashoggi, with the conclusion that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in the incident.

Responding to the press, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the US leader had a phone conversation with CIA Director Gina Haspel and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the incident.

Based on the evidence collected, especially the audio recording provided by Türkiye, the US Central Intelligence Agency has concluded that the Saudi Crown Prince was involved in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi - a report that could put the Trump administration in a "difficult position" in ensuring the benefits of the alliance with the Riyadh government.

However, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert still affirmed that the CIA report is not the final conclusion of the US government. There are still many questions related to the incident that have not been answered to date. Therefore, the US State Department will continue to work with relevant countries, especially Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, to clarify the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. However, as in previous statements, the US State Department affirmed that the country will still maintain a strategic relationship with this Gulf ally country.

Currently, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the US are increasingly putting pressure on the US government to impose “stronger” sanctions on Saudi Arabia following the CIA report.