Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Thursday morning that he no longer plans to attend an investment summit in Saudi Arabia, as scrutiny of the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi intensifies.
Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.
— Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) October 18, 2018
Mnuchin had initially resisted canceling his trip even as American business leaders pulled out of the conference and the Saudi government avoided taking responsibility for the apparent killing of Khashoggi by Saudi officials.
Though Mnuchin has now cancelled his trip, the Trump administration has shown remarkable deference to the Saudi government, with the President casting doubt on the mounting evidence that Khashoggi was murdered by the Saudi government.