Trump: The Disappearance of Khashoggi May Be the Work of 'Rogue Killers'

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, on Monday, October 15, shortly after a phone call with King Salman of Saudi Arabia, noted that the Saudi king has strongly denied any knowledge of the matter, stating: 'It seems to me that perhaps 'rogue killers' were involved in this incident.' Mr. Trump also tweeted that he is sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Riyadh to meet with King Salman. Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the current Saudi rulers and a columnist for the Washington Post, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, and since then, there has been no news about his fate. According to the U.S. President's tweet, King Salman told Donald Trump: 'I have no information about what caused the disappearance of our Saudi citizen,' and that they are working closely with Turkey to find answers. Meanwhile, on Monday evening, Turkish officials announced that inspectors from the joint Turkish-Saudi investigation team entered the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul for inspection. Earlier, television networks, including CNN, aired footage of two cleaning workers entering the consulate, noting their entry just before the inspectors arrived. Turkish media had previously reported that the country's security officials possess audio and video evidence of Mr. Khashoggi's 'murder' inside the consulate. Saudi Arabia has denied any knowledge or involvement in Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance and stated that it would respond severely to any actions such as economic sanctions or political pressure. The Saudi government's statement on Sunday came a day after Donald Trump's interview with CBS was aired. In that interview, Mr. Trump stated that if it is determined that Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, the U.S. would impose 'severe punishment' on those responsible for the murder. In the past ten days, a large number of members of Congress from both the Republican and Democratic parties have called for a firm response from Washington to Riyadh. However, Mr. Trump has so far rejected the option of sanctioning Saudi Arabia, stating that he cannot jeopardize the $110 billion arms sales contract with Riyadh. The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate has also drawn reactions from several other countries, including three European countries, Britain, France, and Germany, which have called for a 'serious investigation' into the matter.