Long Withheld Intelligence Report Finds Saudi Crown Prince Approved 2018 Killing of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi

By Karen DeYoung, The Washington Post

26 February 21

 

audi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the operation that led to the brutal 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a long-withheld U.S. intelligence report made public Friday.

The unclassified report, by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), confirmed classified conclusions reached by the CIA just weeks after the killing of the dissident writer, a Virginia resident and contributing columnist for The Washington Post.

The two-page report said the intelligence community based its conclusions on the absolute control the crown prince, known as MBS, had over decision-making in the kingdom, his “support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi,” and the participation in the operation of his senior aides and security officials.

It was not immediately clear what steps the administration will take to meet President Biden’s pledge of accountability for the crime. Lawmakers in both parties have variously suggested sanctions ranging from economic restrictions, to prohibitions against U.S. dealings with the 35-year-old crown prince, to criminal prosecution.

“I think there are a range of actions that are on the table,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday.

As part of his promise to “recalibrate” relations with Saudi Arabia, Biden has cited several issues, including Saudi human rights violations and political repression, the prosecution of the Saudi-led war in Yemen and the Khashoggi killing. He has already stopped the U.S. sale of offensive weapons used in the war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels and paused for review all other weapons purchases by the kingdom, the world’s largest customer for U.S. defense goods.

At the same time, Biden has called the Saudis important regional partners, saying the United States will continue counterterrorism cooperation and its assistance against regional threats, including Iran.

Future dealings with the crown prince — the heir to the crown now held by his 85-year-old father and already the country’s de facto leader — will be challenging. The White House delayed Biden’s initial call with King Salman until more than a month after the inauguration and made clear it did not want his son on the line.

Neither side mentioned whether the Khashoggi issue was discussed on the call, which took place Thursday.

Release of the report marks the end of a long process that began when Khashoggi, lured to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to pick up documents, was drugged and dismembered by Saudi agents. His remains have never been found.

The CIA, based in part on intercepts of text messages and telephone calls, along with an audio recording of the actual killing, quickly contradicted the Saudi government’s claims that the crown prince was not involved. After a classified briefing just weeks after Khashoggi’s death, lawmakers said the evidence was irrefutable.

“If the crown prince went in front of a jury, he would be convicted in 30 minutes,” then-Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told reporters.

But President Donald Trump, who had also been briefed, continued to insist there were no firm conclusions, asking, “Well, will anybody really know?”

Although his administration imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi officials with alleged direct involvement in the killing itself, Trump insisted that the U.S. security alliance and massive Saudi purchases of U.S. weaponry were more important than holding the top Saudi leadership accountable.

“We do have an ally, and I want to stick with an ally that in many ways has been very good,” he told Fox News after hearing the intelligence evidence.

In early 2019, Congress demanded that the ODNI produce an unclassified report of U.S. intelligence conclusions, including names of involved Saudi officials at all levels, and passed legislation giving the administration 30 days to release it.

For the next two years, Trump ignored the law, while he and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the White House official in charge of the Saudi account, continued to develop a close relationships with Mohammed.

Saudi Arabia, while convicting 11 intelligence agents of the murder in a closed-door trial — with five death sentences later commuted to 20 years — avoided directly addressing the CIA findings and instead raised Trump’s skeptical public comments.

The crown prince, during a 2019 interview with “60 Minutes,” pointed out that the United States had never released “an official statement” implicating him. “There isn’t clear information or evidence that someone close to me did something,” he said.

Asked about the CIA finding, he said, “If there is any such information that charges me, I hope it is brought forward publicly.”

While bipartisan majorities voted to stop weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, they were unable to muster the votes necessary to override Trump’s veto. When further sales were up for approval by lawmakers, the administration bypassed Congress altogether and declared a national security emergency required delivery.

Last year, on the second anniversary of Khashoggi’s murder, Biden said that, as president, he would “reassess our relationship with the Kingdom, end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, and make sure America does not check its values at the door to sell arms or buy oil.”

“Jamal’s death will not be in vain,” Biden said.

Asked during her confirmation hearing whether she would release the ODNI report, Avril Haines, now Biden’s national intelligence director, said yes and confirmed she would “follow the law.”