Secretary of State Mike Pompeo avoided commenting on the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s responsibility for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, as lawmakers fume that he is giving the monarchy a pass.
“I welcome the opportunity to engage closely with you on this and other important issues regarding human rights, respect for the rule of law, and our partnership in carrying out the Global Magnitsky sanctions program,” Pompeo wrote Friday in a message to Congress obtained by the Washington Examiner.
That two-paragraph letter, sent to New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez — the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee — failed to assuage congressional frustration over President Trump’s response to the Khashoggi killing. Menendez helped trigger a 120-day investigation period for the administration to impose sanctions under a federal law targeting individual human rights abusers.
“The Administration failed to meet its legal requirement to make a determination of responsibility for this heinous murder and report to Congress,” Menendez said in a late Friday evening statement. “I am very disappointed that the response from Secretary Pompeo doesn’t come close to fulfilling the statutory mandate and demonstrates what the administration has wanted all along – the Khashoggi murder to be forgotten.”
Pompeo noted that the administration has blacklisted 17 Saudi Arabian officials who had immediate involvement in the operation to kill and dismember Khashoggi in a diplomatic facility in Turkey. But he did not address the question of whether the Saudi crown prince should also be sanctioned as a human rights abuser.
“With or without the Administration’s assistance, the Foreign Affairs Committee will push for real accountability for the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said earlier Friday. “And the Administration’s refusal to deal with this issue and keep Congress informed underscores the need to get to the bottom of what is motivating the Trump foreign policy.”
Pompeo has argued that lawmakers should balance their anger over the Khashoggi killing against the value of the alliance with Saudi Arabia, which the administration regards as a key bulwark against Iranian influence in the Middle East.
“We have aggressively used the Global Magnitsky program in the case of Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, with 101 designations globally,” he wrote to Menendez. “We will continue to use relevant authorities as appropriate to promote accountability for the murder of Mr. Khashoggi and impose tangible and significant consequences on those responsible.”
Menendez, who wanted Pompeo to make a specific determination about the Saudi crown prince, cited the letter as part of “a continued effort to stonewall” congressional interest in the murder.
“I will continue to push for the president to fully hold accountable those responsible for the death of Mr. Khashoggi and to uphold United States laws,” the top lawmaker said.
