Senators are angry CIA Director Gina Haspel didn’t appear Wednesday at a classified briefing about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi — and in response, some may vote to end U.S. logistical support of the Saudi war in Yemen.
“It would be nice to have the CIA director here,” Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said after the meeting. “There are certainly members who are weighing the absence of the CIA director and how they vote today.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis led the briefing, in which they worked to convince lawmakers to vote “no” on an upcoming War Powers resolution that would end U.S. support of the Saudi war against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The vote could happen as soon as Wednesday afternoon or evening, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, told the Washington Examiner, but it may slip until Thursday.
A vote in favor would potentially signal to the Trump Administration that lawmakers want both swift action against the Saudi government in response to Khashoggi’s October murder and a faster end to American involvement in Yemen, even in a support capacity.
“Last time, it lost 55-44,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said after the meeting. “I think the vote will be more in favor of the resolution today.”
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who backs the resolution, said lawmakers are increasingly interested in taking action against the Saudi government and may have the numbers to beat back an inevitable motion to table the measure when it is introduced.
“I think there is a very reasonable chance the tabling motion will fail,” Paul said. “There is a growing consensus people think something more has to be done.”
Mattis and Pompeo addressed Khashoggi’s murder in place of Haspel at the classified briefing.
Haspel missed the session, even though lawmakers requested she attend and brief them on the reported CIA finding that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, directed the killing. Haspel recently traveled to Turkey to hear an audio tape of the murder, which took place at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
“Not having Gina Haspel, the CIA director, at this briefing, is a cover-up to a critical question that the members of the Senate have as to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and a critical element of U.S.-Saudi relationships,” Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations panel, said after the briefing. “It’s outrageous that the Senate can be stonewalled from hearing from the CIA director.”
Mattis and Pompeo advocated for President Trump’s position that the Saudi government’s sanctioning of officials is enough punishment and that the United States must remain allied with the kingdom for strategic and financial reasons.
They also argued that aiding the Saudis in Yemen is necessary to keep Iran in check.
But many lawmakers were not satisfied. They want the Trump administration to take action directly against the crown prince.
“The administration’s position was defended by both of them,” Durbin said after the meeting. “But there was no satisfying answer to how this possibly could have occurred without the prince’s knowledge or direction.”
Even if the resolution passes, it would then require House action, which is unlikely this year.
