Trump may not meet Khashoggi report deadline

WASHINGTON - The White House signaled on Friday it was unlikely to meet a deadline to report to Congress on whether it intends to impose sanctions on those responsible for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, prompting an angry backlash on Capitol Hill.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers triggered a provision of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Act in October, giving the government 120 days until Feb 8 to report on who was responsible for the death of Khashoggi and whether the United States would impose sanctions on that person or persons.

Khashoggi, who wrote for The Washington Post, was killed at a Saudi consulate in Turkey in early October, sparking global outrage. In Saudi Arabia, 11 suspects have been indicted in the murder, and officials have rejected accusations that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing.

Congressional aides said they had not received a report from the White House by early evening on Friday. Some said they still hoped to receive it by early next week, but the administration said US President Donald Trump did not feel the need to send one.

"The President maintains his discretion to decline to act on congressional committee requests when appropriate," a senior government official said in an emailed statement. "The US government will continue to consult with Congress and work to hold accountable those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's killing."

Some lawmakers responded angrily and said they intended to punish whomever was responsible.

"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," Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that the Saudi crown prince had said a year before Kashoggi's death that he would use "a bullet" on Khashoggi if he did not return home and end his criticism of the government.

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told reporters on Friday the prince did not order Khashoggi's killing.

Jubeir said he wanted Congress to let the Saudi legal process conclude before taking action on sanctions. "We are doing what we need to do in terms of acknowledging the mistake, investigating, charging and holding people accountable," he said.

Jubeir said he believed some congressional criticism was "driven by politics".

Juan Pachon, a spokesman for Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Trump was breaking the law by failing to send the report.

"The law is clear," Pachon said. "It requires a determination and report in response to the letter we sent with (former Foreign Relations Chairman Bob) Corker. The president has no discretion here. He's either complying with the law or breaking it."

Reuters

(China Daily 02/11/2019 page12)