WASHINGTON — Donald Trump says the king of Saudi Arabia "firmly" and "strongly" gave him a "flat denial" that he or his crown prince had any knowledge or anything to do with the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi inside their country's consulate in Istanbul.
The U.S. president repeatedly noted the emphatic nature of the king's denial, saying Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is en route to the Middle East to learn more about what might have happened to the Washington Post columnist.
Khashoggi — a "Saudi Arabian citizen," Trump notes, although he lived in the U.S. — was last seen entering the consulate two weeks ago.
Turkish officials have said they have audio recordings that prove the journalist, a known critic of the Saudi regime, was killed once inside, his body dismembered for easy disposal.
Trump says his conversation with King Salman led him to believe it could have been the work of "rogue killers."
American lawmakers have threatened tough punitive action against the Saudis, with Germany, France and Britain jointly calling for a "credible investigation" into Khashoggi's disappearance — a statement Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland distributed Sunday on Twitter, along with an expression of solidarity.
