Saudi Arabia's King Salman (right) met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Riyadh on Tuesday to discuss the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. | Leah Millis/AFP/Getty Images Foreign Policy Trump compares allegations against Saudis to Kavanaugh furor

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday expressed confidence in the leaders of Saudi Arabia, even as U.S. lawmakers, business leaders and lobbyists criticized and severed ties with the kingdom over suspicions that Saudi officials orchestrated the killing of a dissident journalist.

Trump compared the allegations against the Saudis to accusations of sexual assault lobbed at Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court. “Here we go again with, you know, you’re guilty until proven innocent,” Trump told The Associated Press in an interview. “I don’t like that.”


Pompeo was in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to talk to King Salman and other top officials about Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist living in the U.S. who often wrote critically of the Saudi government for The Washington Post. Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2.

Pompeo was smiling and friendly toward his hosts, saying “absolutely” when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are “strong and old allies” who will “face our challenges together.” He later described his talks as “direct and candid” but struck a note of confidence in the Saudis.

“My assessment from these meetings is that there is serious commitment to determine all the facts and ensure accountability, including accountability for Saudi Arabia’s senior leaders or senior officials,” Pompeo said in a statement.

Pompeo and the crown prince also apparently called Trump during their meetingther, according to the president. Trump on Twitter said the Saudi leader “denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish consulate.”

Pompeo’s and Trump’s efforts to stay cordial with the Saudis stood in contrast to growing anger in Washington over what happened to Khashoggi. A infurious Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has become a close Trump ally, said the Saudi crown prince “has got to go” and called on the U.S. to “sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia.”

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The contrasting tones illustrate the tricky relationship the U.S. has with oil-rich Saudi Arabia, an Arab country with many, often mutually contradictory layers. The Saudis have, for instance, been a staunch U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism, even as they have promoted a conservative version of Islam that experts say has spawned many terrorists. The Trump administration considers Saudi cooperation key on multiple fronts, including keeping oil markets stable and pressuring the Iranian leadership.

Khashoggi was a dissident Saudi who had been living in the Washington area. The Associated Press quoted a top Turkish official on Tuesday as saying police had found “certain evidence” that Khashoggi was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain marriage-related documents. Saudi and Turkish officials began a joint investigation at the consulate on Monday.

Saudi leaders initially claimed that Khashoggi left the consulate safe and sound, but they never offered evidence to support that claim. CNN reported Monday that the Saudis were considering admitting that Khashoggi, who was often critical of the Saudi crown prince, was killed as the result of an interrogation gone awry.

The report of that potential Saudi explanation for Khashoggi’s disappearance wasn’t enough to assuage many U.S. business leaders and others with links to Riyadh. The Glover Park Group and BGR Group said this week they would be dropping Saudi Arabia as a client, becoming the second and third lobbying and public relations firms to drop the Saudis after the Harbour Group.

Meanwhile, Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, joined a growing list of prominent names to back out of a planned investment conference in Saudi Arabia next week. Several companies, including leading U.S. media firms, have canceled their participation in the same event, nicknamed “Davos in the desert.”

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has not yet pulled out of the conference, another indication of the reluctance within the Trump administration to alienate the Saudis.

Much of the fury in Washington over the Khashoggi case has been directed at the powerful Saudi crown prince, commonly known as MBS.

The heir to the throne has sought to cast himself as a progressive Muslim reformer, taking initiatives such as allowing Saudi women to drive and permitting more entertainment facilities in the country. But he has also clamped down on dissidents, showing an authoritarian streak that has rattled Westerners hoping to invest in and partner with the country.

The alleged murder of Khashoggi has angered Republicans and Democrats alike in Congress, who were already worried about Saudi Arabia’s killing of civilians in the war in Yemen and its diplomatic rifts with Qatar and Canada.

In a column in the Post on Monday, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) argued that the Khashoggi case “should trigger a fundamental review of the nature of the United States’ alliance with the Saudis.”

“Here’s the bottom line: The Saudis are not telling us the truth,” Murphy wrote. “Their obfuscation over what happened to Khashoggi inside their consulate is the same game they have been playing with us in Yemen as they’ve killed thousands of civilians. No wonder they expected no consequences over the murder of just one.”

Graham was far harsher. The senator said he was “personally offended” at what he described as the actions of the crown prince.

“He had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey,” Graham said on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday. “And to expect me to ignore it, I feel used and abused. I was on the floor every time defending Saudi Arabia because they’re a good ally.”

Graham added: “This guy has got to go. Saudi Arabia, if you’re listening: There’s a lot of good people you can choose, but MBS has tainted your country.”

Trump and his top aides have been much more careful in their comments.

Trump on Monday said that he spoke to King Salman and that the monarch had “firmly denied any knowledge of” what happened to Khashoggi. Trump has said he is loath to cancel weapons sales to Saudi Arabia over the crisis, saying it would hurt U.S. jobs.

Trump also vaguely suggested that “rogue killers” might have been behind Khashoggi’s suspected death. The president’s comments prompted widespread criticism that he could be signaling to the Saudis that he would accept such a cover story.

Trump on Tuesday also swatted away questions about his financial links with Saudi Arabia. “For the record, I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter). Any suggestion that I have is just more FAKE NEWS (of which there is plenty)!” Trump tweeted.

On his visit to Riyadh, Pompeo met briefly with the aging Saudi king. A readout of the session from the State Department was brief and mentioned the Khashoggi case only in its last sentence, saying Pompeo expressed gratitude for the king’s support of an investigation.

Pompeo also “thanked the king for Saudi Arabia’s strong partnership with the United States,” the statement said.

Pompeo’s smiling meet-and-greet with the crown prince was captured on camera at the top of the meeting. The State Department readout of Pompeo’s private session with the crown prince was short on details.

“The secretary reiterated the president’s concern with respect to Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance, as well as the president’s desire to determine what happened,” the statement said. “The secretary welcomed Saudi Arabia’s support of the Turkish authorities’ investigation.”

Pompeo is heading next to Turkey to discuss the Khashoggi case with officials there. In his statement late Tuesday, the secretary of state pledged to “remain in close contact with Saudi and Turkish authorities as they complete this process and ultimately announce their findings.”