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Pressure Builds On President Trump As Congressional Deadline On Khashoggi Murder Comes And Goes

A congressional deadline demanding clarification of last October’s murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi came and went, as pressure mounts on President Donald Trump to hold Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman accountable. According to U.S. intelligence, the young heir to the Saudi throne ordered the killing that took place in Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbul, a determination apparently supported by reports that bin Salman had spoken about targeting Khashoggi “with a bullet.” Under U.S. law, President Trump had until the weekend to respond to a bi-partisan letter written by Senators calling for those responsible be designated and punished. In response, administration officials pointed to the fact that in the wake of the murder two dozen Saudis had their visas revoked, whereas the assets of another 17 individuals were frozen. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister reiterated Friday that the crown prince was not involved and warned that blaming the royal would amount to crossing a “red line.”