US MPs call for Saudi Arabia to be held responsible for Khashoggi’s death
SANAA, Jan. 11 (YPA) – Members of the US Senate and House of Representatives have called on Washington to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul and vowed Congress would move if the administration of President Donald Trump remains silent.
More than 12 Senate and House members, including Democrats and Republicans, spoke at an event organized on Thursday at the Congressional Complex to celebrate freedom of the press, that Khashoggi’s funeral and more than 50 other journalists killed around the world last year, according to Reuters agency.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “If we decide that business interests go beyond the data we produce and the actions we do, then we have to admit that we have lost all our moral authority.”
US lawmakers call for a response to Khashoggi’s death.
In December, a number of Republican Trump members joined Democrats in defying the president and passed Senate legislation to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in the aggression against Yemen and to hold Saudi Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for Khashoggi’s death.
But the House of Representatives did not approve the legislation because of the Republicans’ control of it at the time, but the Democrats intend to raise the issue again after winning a majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections in November.
Mike McCall, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described Khashoggi’s death as a “major setback” in relations. “Changes have to be made,” he said.
Democratic Committee Chairman Elliott Angel told Reuters after the event that he planned to hold meetings on relations with Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks.
Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi embassy in Istanbul on October 2.
US intelligence confirms that bin Salman ordered an operation to kill Khashoggi. Senior Turkish officials also linked his death to the highest level of leadership in the kingdom.
Trump has said more than once that he stands with Prince Mohammed despite the assessment of the CIA.