U.S. Representative for California’s 28th congressional district Adam Schiff suggested today that President Donald Trump’s financial interests in Saudi Arabia may be influencing his policy in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, The Hill reported.

As a ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Schiff is considered to be one of the most influential voices in the Democratic Party, so one could infer that his comments carry a lot of weight. Quite bluntly, Schiff said today that the intelligence community should look into the Khashoggi case, but also try and “determine whether financial motives are motivating the president and the first family.”

In a final jab at Trump, Schiff stressed that the POTUS should release his tax returns, and that situations like the Khashoggi murder case demonstrate why President Trump should release his tax returns and show that he is not being driven by outside influences.

“This is the very problem with the president not releasing his tax returns. It leaves the American people wondering, is U.S.-Saudi policy being driven by something other than national interests.”

Schiff is not the first Democrat to imply that there is a connection – financial or other – between Saudi Arabia and the Trump family.

As detailed by a previous Inquisitr report, Texas representative Joaquin Castro suggested that President Trump’s son-in-law, White House Adviser Jared Kushner, may have had a lot to do with Khashoggi’s murder. Castro said that Kushner may have tipped off the Saudis, aiding the country’s intelligence agencies in prosecuting and subsequently murdering the journalist.

Rep. Adam Schiff says we "ought to determine whether financial motives are motiving the president and the first family" when it comes to U.S.-Saudi policy.



"This is the very problem with the president not releasing his tax returns," he adds https://t.co/DXjPZOxcPQ #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/5XEzCcrYOB — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 21, 2018

Other Democrats have criticized President Trump’s response to Saudi Arabia’s explanation of the murder. Amid widespread skepticism, Trump praised Saudi Arabia, claiming that the country is “getting close” to solving the issue, according to Time.

President Trump tweeted on October 16 that he “[has] no financial interests in Saudi Arabia,” but according to Politifact, that statement is “half true at best.”

The fact-checking website pointed out that the POTUS openly boasted about his financial ties to the country on multiple occasions. Although the Trump organization does not own property in Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump has been conducting business with Saudis since the 1990s. Trump’s Washington hotel’s acceptance of payments from foreign governments – Saudi Arabia’s government included – is currently the subject of a lawsuit, for instance.

Over the years, Trump has made millions, thanks to his financial ties to Saudi Arabia. Even after becoming President of the United States, reports have suggested Donald Trump continues to profit from business dealings with the country.