Senator: Saudi Ambassador Didn’t Answer My Basic Questions About Khashoggi Disappearance

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the number-two Democrat in the Senate, revealed on Sunday that he spoke with the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Durbin said the ambassador failed to answer his basic questions about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for nearly two weeks since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. “Ambassador bin Salman gave no credible explanation for Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance,” Durbin said in a statement. “He refused to comment directly on the video showing Mr. Khashoggi entering the Istanbul consulate but not exiting, would not respond to reports of intelligence showing a plan to lure Mr. Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia, would not respond to a request for a third party to investigate, and gave me no timetable on the Saudi’s investigative report.” Durbin also said he can no longer support U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, even as President Donald Trump has doubled down on his support for the weapons sales in recent days. Reports suggest that Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, was killed inside the consulate and that his body was dismembered.