Secretary of State Mike Pompeo enjoyed a jovial greeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday morning upon meeting with the Saudi leader and his father to discuss the disappearance of the presumed-murdered Washington Post writer.
Pompeo reportedly thanked the crown prince for his “commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent and timely investigation” into Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance. Pompeo was sent to Saudi Arabia to meet with officials after the Turkish government claimed it had audio and video evidence that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi officials.
Pompeo meets with Saudi crown prince pic.twitter.com/GYSdCCGfJL
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 16, 2018
The Saudis have flatly denied the allegations. After President Trump spoke with the Saudi king on Monday, the President floated the idea that “rogue killers” could be responsible for the journalist’s death.
As Saudi and Turkish officials launched a joint-probe of Khashoggi’s disappearance on Monday, reports surfaced that Saudi officials may be preparing to admit Khashoggi was accidentally killed during a botched interrogation.