Jamal Khashoggi: Trump brands aftermath of journalist's killing 'worst cover-up ever'

'Somebody really messed up... And they had the worst cover-up ever,' says US president

Turkish President Erdogan calls on Saudi Arabia to 'bring forward those responsible' for 'savage murder' of Jamal Khashoggi

Donald Trump has called the response to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi ”the worst cover-up” in history as the US announced it would sanction Saudi Arabian officials who are implicated in the death.

Mr Trump was speaking hours after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed Riyadh’s efforts to blame Mr Khashoggi’s death, within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, on “rogue operatives”. Mr Erdogan called for Saudi Arabia to search from “top to bottom” to uncover those behind what he called “savage” premeditated murder of Mr Khashoggi - who was last seen alive entering the consulate on 2 October.

Mr Trump said the Khashoggi case was handled badly by Saudi officials. “Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever,” he said. ”Once they thought about it, everything else they did was bad too,” the president added later.

Having spent weeks maintaining that Mr Khashoggi had left the consulate alive, Saudi authorities have said they now believe that Mr Khashoggi - a US resident and Washington Post columnist – was unintentionally killed in a “fight” with “suspects” inside the diplomatic premises. That explanation has been met with scepticism, with Turkish officials having alleged that a 15-man ‘hit squad’ was behind the killing and that Saudi officials had planned the operation for days.

The killing has caused global outrage, with the fallout straining relations between Riyadh and a number of governments who have called for a transparent investigation. The G7 nations issued a fresh call for “a thorough, credible, transparent and prompt investigation” on Tuesday adding Saudi Arabia needed to put in place “measures to ensure that something like this cannot happen again”.

“There should have never been an execution or a cover-up, because it should have never happened,” the president said. He added that he had spoken on Monday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who denied having anything to do with Mr Khashoggi’s killing.

The crown prince has come under pressure over his links to some of the suspects identified as allegedly being involved by Turkish officials. On Tuesday, the Saudi foreign ministry released photos of Mr Khashoggi’s son, Salah bin Jamal Khashoggi, meeting the crown prince and King Salman in Riyadh.

The crown prince did receive a standing ovation when he appeared at a major investment conference in Riyadh, a conference that a number of Western government officials and business leaders have withdrawn from because of the controversy.

Shortly after Mr Trump made his comments, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration was moving to revoke the visas of Saudi government and intelligence agents suspected of involvement in the death of Khashoggi.

Visa records are confidential and Mr Pompeo was not more specific about who the revocations would affect, but the State Department later said 21 “Saudi suspects” would have visas revoked or would be declared ineligible to enter the US.

The penalties are the first action taken by Washington over the affair, with Mr Trump having faced pressure from Congress to sanction Riyadh.

“These penalties will not be the last word on this matter,” Mr Pompeo said at the State Department. The administration “will continue to hold those responsible accountable. We’re making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, with violence,” he said. “Neither the president or I am happy with this situation.”

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[23 October 2018 20:31 · Chris Stevenson]

CIA Director Gina Haspel, in Turkey to investigate the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has sought to hear a purported audio recording of his torture and murder, four sources familiar with her mission told Reuters on Tuesday.

[23 October 2018 20:53 · Chris Stevenson]

Here is some video of the meeting between members of Jamal Khashoggi's family and Saudi King Salam and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh earlier.

 

[23 October 2018 21:10 · Chris Stevenson]

President Donald Trump has spoken about the Saudi investigation and has criticised Riyadh's handling of Mr Khashoggi's death.

 

[23 October 2018 21:15 · Chris Stevenson]

President Donald Trump said Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was "pretty rough" on Saudi Arabia in remarks on Tuesday about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and said Riyadh's handling of the matter was "the worst cover-up ever."

Mr Trump told reporters he wanted to get all the facts on Khashoggi's death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul before agreeing with Erdogan's assessment. Mr Trump, who sent his CIA director to Turkey to discuss the issue, said he expected to have a report pretty soon.

[23 October 2018 21:28 · Chris Stevenson]

More in the remarks by Donald Trump:

 

[23 October 2018 21:34 · Chris Stevenson]

Here are the full remarks by Donald Trump:

 

[23 October 2018 21:40 · Chris Stevenson]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is holding a briefing at the State Department now.

 

[23 October 2018 21:52 · Chris Stevenson]

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the US is “taking appropriate actions” against Saudi Arabia in response to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Those actions include revoking visas and entering visa lookouts, Mr Pompeo said, as well as working with the Treasury Department to consider Magnitsky sanctions on those involved in the dissident journalist's killing.

“These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States,” Mr Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. “We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those responsible accountable.”

[23 October 2018 22:05 · Chris Stevenson]

Here is the full clip of Donald Trump's earlier remarks on Saudi Arabia:

 

[23 October 2018 22:25 · Chris Stevenson]

Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio has said that if the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is implicated in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi - something the crown prince denies - he should be removed from his country's line of succession.