US won’t prejudge result of Khashoggi Probe

Pompeo was scheduled to travel to Ankara on Oct. 17 to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu

The White House will not prejudge the outcome of the official investigation into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, and stands ready to aid in the probe, according to a Trump administration official.

The king, crown prince, and foreign minister of Saudi Arabia agreed with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Oct. 16 about the need for a prompt and comprehensive investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Pompeo met with the Saudi officials on Oct. 16 after being dispatched to Riyadh by President Donald Trump, with instructions to find out firsthand what happened.

“It is absolutely essential that Turkish authorities, with full and transparent support from the government of Saudi Arabia, are able to conduct a thorough investigation and officially release the results of that investigation when concluded,” a Trump administration official told The Epoch Times.

“We support Turkish investigators’ efforts and are not going to prejudge the outcome of the official investigation. We stand ready to assist.”

Khashoggi was allegedly last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Since then, media outlets have cited unidentified sources to allege that Khashoggi was murdered at the behest of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Epoch Times couldn’t independently verify the anonymous claims; Saudi Arabia denies the allegations.

“The Secretary and the Crown Prince agreed on the importance of a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation that provides answers,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

In a phone call with Trump, the crown prince “totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “He was with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the call, and told me that he has already started, and will rapidly expand, a full and complete investigation into this matter. Answers will be forthcoming shortly.”

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