Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday suggested it was “premature” to discuss sanctioning Saudi Arabia, as lawmakers from both parties press for punitive steps against the kingdom over Saudi officials alleged involvement in the death of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Speaking to a small group of reporters, Mnuchin raised the “very important issues that we continue to focus on” with Saudi Arabia, including U.S.-Saudi efforts to combat terrorism in the region and counter Iran.
“We will continue in that relationship, while we also simultaneously want to get to the bottom of what the facts are about the Khashoggi situation, which is obviously a terrible situation,” Mnuchin told reporters, adding it would be “premature to comment on sanctions” before a probe into the writer’s death is complete.
