Lindsey Graham Ready to Hold Senate Hostage Over Khashoggi Briefing
While the President has all but brushed off the ongoing drama surrounding the death of anti-Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi, it seems that not everyone in the republican party is falling in step with him.
Khashoggi’s killing was a gruesome and grotesque affair, complete with dismemberment, torture, and a disturbing disposal process. It was no clean hit, instead, it was meant to send a message from the Saudi Royal Family to those who would choose to oppose them.
Our CIA even went so far as to claim that the Saudi Crown Prince himself personally ordered the assassination.
Now, even in the face of the President’s indifference, Senator Lindsey Graham wants answers.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., threatened to withhold his vote on a spending bill if the CIA fails to brief Congress on the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
Speaking to reporters, Graham indicated that the briefing lawmakers had just received by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was insufficient without the CIA present.
“If that briefing is not given soon, it’s going to be hard for me to vote on any spending bill,” Graham said.
The look of disappointment was unmistakeable.
Sen @LindseyGrahamSC: "The question for me is whether or not the CIA supports the conclusion, with a high degree of confidence, that the Crown Prince was complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi.…I'm not going to blow past this." pic.twitter.com/i28eUcGggF
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 28, 2018
Saudi Arabia’s stifling grip on the world oil markets has been a fantastic deterrent against criticism for the Crown Prince as of late, even as Khashoggi’s killing looms large in the rearview mirror.