Trump says he's taking 'a lot of things into consideration' on Khashoggi's killing. What could the US do next?

Christal Hayes | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Saudi FM distances crown prince from writer death Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Thursday Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had "absolutely" nothing to do with the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. (Nov. 15)

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump spoke on Saturday with his CIA chief and top diplomat about the spy agency’s assessment of the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

While reports indicate the spy agency found in an assessment of intelligence that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing, Trump said on Saturday he still is taking into account the role Saudi Arabia plays in the Middle East as a key U.S. ally.

Trump told reporters that, when it came to the crown prince, “as of this moment we were told that he did not play a role. We’re going to have to find out what they have to say.”

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat has said the crown prince had “absolutely” nothing to do with the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in Virginia and a fierce critic of the royal family.

More: CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s killing: reports

Khashoggi was killed Oct. 2 at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Turkish and Saudi authorities say he was murdered inside the consulate by a team from the kingdom after he went there to get marriage documents.

The Saudis responded to the purported CIA assessment by calling it false and requesting proof of how the intelligence agency made the conclusions. The State Department, meanwhile, said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday that its assessment was not completed and reports that the United States had made "a final conclusion are inaccurate."

In his remarks Saturday, the president spoke of Saudi Arabia as “a truly spectacular ally in terms of jobs and economic development.”

“I have to take a lot of things into consideration” when deciding what measures to take against the kingdom.

Last week, the Trump administration announced sanctions on 17 Saudi officials suspected of being responsible for or complicit in the killing.

But the new assessment puts added pressure on Trump and Congress to move on harsher punishments against the regime, specifically when it comes to the crown prince.

Here are a few options the United States could use to punish Saudi Arabia.

Magnitsky sanctions

The Global Magnitsky Act allows in a provision that lawmakers can require the president to determine whether any person was complicit in Khashoggi's death.

Already, the U.S. has sanctioned 17 people in connection to Khashoggi's killing, but that list includes no one in the royal family.

In Congress, lawmakers said the U.S. sanctions on the 17 Saudis were a good first step but called on the Trump administration to go further.

More: US sanctions 17 Saudi nationals over Jamal Khashoggi's killing

“Today’s action does not put this issue to rest,” said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “It remains unclear whether the Trump Administration has determined who is responsible for this horrific incident.”

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he had “a lot of concerns about the trajectory that Saudi Arabia is on right now, and I think a price needs to be paid.”

Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée: Pain is still fresh Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, had messages for President Donald Trump and America in a video shown at his memorial service in Washington.

The sanctions take away visas and seize any U.S. assets. Lawmakers have the option to go over the president's head to sanction others connected to the killing.

This has happened before. In 2017, Congress passed sanctions against Russia due to election meddling in the 2016 election, a move the president wasn't fond of at the time.

Yemen conflict

Another option is for the United States to stop supporting Saudi Arabia in the conflict in Yemen.

The U.S. backing the Saudi regime has been marked by controversy as the death toll, including many children, continues to increase. The conflict has also led to widespread famine, leaving millions at risk of starving in Yemen.

Congress has some options to cut off support. Lawmakers could request U.S. military personnel be withdrawn since the missions weren't OK'd by Congress.

Already, some lawmakers have hinted that they would take up measures preventing the U.S. from continuing to help Saudi Arabia in the effort, even before Khashoggi's killing.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., filed a bill in September that aimed to halt U.S. support in the Saudi-Yemen war, according to Roll Call. A new Democratic-controlled House could help the bill pass.

Senators Todd Young, R-Ind. and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., told the New York Times it was time to end some of its support for Saudi Arabia, including its refueling missions, something the Trump administration ended earlier this month.

“If the administration does not take immediate steps, including ending U.S. refueling of Saudi coalition aircraft, we are prepared to take additional action when the Senate comes back into session,” the senators said in a statement.

Arms deal

Since Khashoggi's killing, Trump has repeatedly said he does not want to nix $110 billion in U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia because it would hurt American companies and zap U.S. jobs.

It’s a raw financial calculation – and experts say an inaccurate one – but the possible weapons sale has become a political flashpoint in the escalating debate over how to respond to Saudi Arabia’s role in the Khashoggi case.

Whether it goes through, or not, could have lasting consequences on the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

More: US weapons sales a flashpoint as President Trump presses Saudi Arabia over missing journalist

Democrats in Congress say canceling the arms sale would send a signal to the Saudi regime that it doesn’t have carte blanche to murder journalists outsides its borders, particularly those who are American residents. Trump sees it differently.

“I don’t like the concept of stopping an investment of $110 billion into the United States,” Trump said last week.

Three Republicans and three Democrats introduced legislation this week that would suspend U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and impose mandatory sanctions on individuals responsible for Khashoggi’s death.

It would also require the Trump administration to document human rights in Saudi Arabia and impose new accountability measures for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Some say the Saudis could turn to another country as a diplomatic slap to the U.S. – and because money is not a real obstacle to the oil-rich country.

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, Deirdre Shesgreen and the Associated Press