Khashoggi MURDER: Congress DEMANDS President Trump investigate Saudi Crown Prince

Republican chair Senator Bob Corker and senior Democrat Senator Bob Menendez wrote a joint letter to the President demanding action. They claimed under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act the President is legally obliged to investigate whether a foreign national was responsible for a human rights violation. The letter stated: “We request that your determination specifically address whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for Mr Khashoggi’s murder.”

Under the Act, the two Senators asserted the Trump administration has 120 days to report to the committee.

Mr Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, was murdered in the Kingdom’s Istanbul consulate on October 2.

According to the Washington Post, the CIA believes Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination, though he strongly denies any involvement.

On Tuesday President Trump issued a statement indicating the US will maintain its close alliance with the Saudi Kingdom despite the killing.

The President said: “We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr Khashoggi. In any case our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Senator Corker, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, responded with fury.

He tweeted: “I never thought I’d see the day when a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.”

Trump had previously described the Saudi response to Mr Khashoggi’s killing as “the worst cover-up ever”.

The official Saudi story on what happened to Mr Khashoggi in Istanbul has changed repeatedly.

After initially claiming he left the building unharmed, the Kingdom later said Mr Khashoggi was killed when a brawl broke out in the consulate.

They later admitted it had been a premeditated murder, but blamed a “rogue” unit for the incident.

Saudi authorities arrested 18 of those they claimed were responsible, five of whom could face the death penalty.

The US has already slapped sanctions on 17 Saudi officials they believe were involved in the killing.

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt flew to Saudi Arabia last week and demanded the country cooperate fully with a Turkish inquiry into the murder.

He said: “It is clearly unacceptable that the full circumstances behind his murder still remain unclear.”