US President Donald Trump has declared that his administration will uncover the truth about what happened to Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi, whose possible murder at Saudi hands after disappearing in Istanbul has captured worldwide attention.
Trump also promised to personally call Saudi Arabia’s King Salman soon about “the terrible situation in Turkey.”
“We’re going to find out what happened,” Trump pledged on Friday when questioned by reporters in Cincinnati where he was headlining a political rally, reports AP.
Khashoggi, a forceful critic of the Saudi government, went missing more than a week ago after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Turkish officials have said they believe he was murdered there. US officials say they are seeking answers from the Saudi government and are not yet accepting the Turkish government’s conclusions.
The Saudis have called accusations that they are responsible for Khashoggi’s disappearance “baseless.”
Widely broadcast video shows the 59-year-old writer and Washington Post contributor entering the consulate on Tuesday of last week, but there is none showing him leaving.
Separately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, the State Department said Friday. No details of the conversation were released.
Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are important U.S. allies in the region.
Trump said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will evaluate whether to attend a Saudi investor conference later this month.
“The answer is for now I am,” Mnuchin told reporters in Bali, Indonesia, where he was attending a global financial meeting. “If more information comes out in the next week I will take that into account,” he said.