It was not clear why the group was limited to just eight senators.
(MORE: Donald Trump defends Saudi Arabia’s denials in Khashoggi murder, says relationship most important)
“I think it would have been good to have the full Senate,” said Bob Corker, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. When asked why it was limited, Corker said, “I don’t know.”
Haspel’s appearance comes one week after her absence at an all-senators’ classified briefing on the matter touched off a firestorm in the Capitol. Senators on both sides were furious, blaming the White House for holding Haspel back, with one normally-staunch Trump ally, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, threatening to hold up an end-of-year government spending bill until he received a CIA briefing on the journalist’s murder.
The White House and CIA denied that the director was handcuffed from attending.
Niganned al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty ImagesA general manager of Alarab TV, Jamal Khashoggi, looks on during a press conference in the Bahraini capital Manama, Dec. 15, 2014.
Instead of Haspel last week, members heard from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, both of whom said afterward that there’s no “direct” evidence tying Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is known, to Khashoggi, this despite a CIA assessment that reportedly concludes that MBS likely ordered the killing.
(MORE: Turkish investigators search for Khashoggi remains)
Chairman Corker said he thinks the “vast majority” of senators believe the CIA assessment and are poised to act legislatively to punish the young crown prince.
A number of senators are looking at advancing a bipartisan War Power Resolution seeking to withdraw U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen as a way to send a signal to the kingdom. Corker said the measure could be taken up by the Senate as early as Thursday, but he said he thought Monday was more likely, buying more time for Senate leaders to figure out how the debate will unfold.
The chairman said he remains concerned that the measure could potentially have unintended consequences, and he is looking at “how do we end up at a place -in the end- where we’ve done something good for our country?”
(MORE: With CIA head a no-show, Pompeo and Mattis cast doubt on Saudi crown prince’s role in Khashoggi murder)
Sen. John Cornyn, R-TX, for his part, said he doesn’t see a need for the CIA briefing Tuesday, adding, “(Haspel) doesn’t have access to any intelligence that Pompeo and Mattis don’t have- in other words, they have access to the same thing, so I’m not exactly sure what purpose this serves.”
President Trump has cast doubt on the CIA assessment and issued unwavering support for the Saudis in an extraordinary statement last week.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
0.00 (0%) 0 votes
