CONVINCED?

Trump: Saudis ‘Vehemently Deny’ Killing Jamal Khashoggi

The president says he doesn’t want to “hurt jobs” with sanctions, but vows “severe punishment” if Saudi involvement is confirmed.

President Trump has said his administration would be “very upset and angry” if it’s confirmed that Saudi Arabia orchestrated the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But in an interview with 60 Minutes to be aired Sunday, the president was apparently reluctant to point any fingers at the Saudi government, despite Turkish authorities’ claims that they have evidence to prove Saudi involvement. “As of this moment, they deny it, and deny it vehemently,” Trump said. “They deny it. They denied it in every way you can imagine. In the not too distant future, I think we’ll know an answer,” he said. The president also said he doesn’t want to “hurt jobs” by imposing sanctions if Saudi Arabia is found to be behind Khashoggi’s disappearance, saying “there are other ways of punishing” the kingdom. “There’s a lot at stake and maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. You’ll be surprised to hear me say that … There’s something really terrible and disgusting about that if that were the case,” he told CBS News, adding that there would be “severe punishment” if Saudi Arabia is found to be guilty. Khashoggi, who has been fiercely critical of the Saudi government, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday. Turkish authorities have said they have evidence he was lured there by Saudi officials and murdered inside the building.

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