The last words of Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by Saudi officials at the consulate in Istanbul, were “I can’t breathe,” CNN reported.
According to a source who spoke to CNN, who read the translated transcript of an audio recording of Khashoggi’s torture, murder and dismemberment, Khashoggi’s murder in October was a planned action, not part of a botched interrogation as Saudi officials initially claimed. He reportedly repeated the sentence three times.
The transcript also reveals that those responsible for the murder were advised to listen to music while they dismembered his body, to block out the sound. Phone calls were made to officials to brief them on the progress, according to the CNN source.
Khashoggi’s murder has shoved a wedge between Congress and the White House. Lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, agree that the crown prince was clearly involved in the murder, while the White House has chosen to stand behind the Saudi kingdom to maintain economic deals. Trump has waffled on whether the Saudi crown prince was aware of the plan to murder to the writer.
