Vice President Pence vowed Tuesday that the Trump administration would demand answers in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and pledged that those responsible for…
Vice President Pence vowed Tuesday that the Trump administration would demand answers in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and pledged that those responsible for what happened to the Saudi dissident would be “held to account.”
“We’re going to get to the bottom of it. It’s important that the world know the truth,” Pence told reporters after touring areas damaged by Hurricane Michael.
“If in fact Mr. Khashoggi was murdered, we need to know who was responsible… and it’s even more important that he was a member of a free and independent press,” Pence added. “Any loss of life is grievous. Any act of violence that claims a life is to be condemned, but this was also an assault on a free and independent press. So, we’re going to demand answers. The world deserves answers.”
Pence said he planned to speak later in the day with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who spent Tuesday meeting with Saudi leaders in Riyadh. Pompeo pressed the king and crown prince to carry out a thorough investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance.
Khashoggi was last seen two weeks ago entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and was not seen leaving. Turkish officials and some U. S. lawmakers have said it’s increasingly apparent he was murdered at the facility on orders from Saudi leadership.
Saudi officials have denied any knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi, who lived in Virginia, wrote columns for The Washington Post and spoke critically of Saudi leaders.
The vice president last week indicated he would be open to sending the FBI to investigate what happened to Khashoggi. He added in the same interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that reports of the journalist’s murder represent a threat to a free press and human rights.
Pence has struck a more definitive tone than President Trump in his calls for justice over Khashoggi’s whereabouts.
The president has expressed concern about Khashoggi’s disappearance, but has in each of the last two days pointed to denials by Saudi leadership that they know what happened to the journalist.
After speaking with King Salman on Monday, Trump suggested without evidence that ” rogue killers ” may have been behind what happened to Khashoggi.
The president on Tuesday highlighted a denial from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a phone call. The crown prince, 33, holds significant power in the country and oversees many government operations.
