President Trump said Monday he is sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman about the mysterious disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Mr. Trump said Mr. Pompeo is leaving “literally within the hour.”
Mr. Trump said the king denied “any knowledge of whatever may have happened” to the Washington Post columnist.
Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened “to our Saudi Arabian citizen.” He said that they are working closely with Turkey to find answer. I am immediately sending our Secretary of State to meet with King!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2018
The president reiterated the king’s denials before leaving for Florida and Georgia and said it “could not have been stronger.”
“It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. Who knows? But his was a flat denial,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2 but has not been seen since.
Many are suspecting the Saudi government orchestrated Mr. Khashoggi’s murder.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump warned that the Middle Eastern ally would face “severe” consequences if intelligence determines it was responsible for killing Mr. Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia pushed back against the threats and vowed to respond in kind if it is hit with any sanctions.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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