President Trump said Friday he plans to call Saudi Arabia’s King Salman “at some point” as the president faces growing pressure to confront the Middle Eastern nation over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“I will be calling, I will be calling at some point King Salman. I’ll be speaking to him, yes,” Trump told reporters in Ohio ahead of a campaign event.
Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to obtain papers to marry his fiancee and has not been heard from or seen since.
Turkish officials told the U.S. it has audio and video recordings that prove Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate, the Washington Post reported. The Saudis have denied harming the journalist and say he left their facility.
“We’re going to find out what happened with respect to the terrible situation in Turkey having to do with Saudi Arabia and the reporter. And nobody knows quite yet, nobody’s been able to put it all together. People are starting to form ideas and as they’re formed, we’ll let you know, but it’s certainly a terrible thing,” Trump said.
Khashoggi had been critical of the Saudi government under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has formed a close relationship with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have put pressure on the Trump administration to impose sanctions on Saudi officials and halt arms sales to the country in response to the disappearance. Trump has shown tepid interest in doing so.
“What good does it do us?” Trump told reporters Thursday in response to questions about whether his administration would consider stopping arm sales to Saudi Arabia.