The Turks may still yet have the ultimate "smoking gun" leak up their sleeve which could put to bed the whole question over whether Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the October 2nd killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

The story broke on Thursday as Americans were celebrating Thanksgiving, and as President Trump — spending the holidays a Mar-a-Lago — took time to tell reporters at a press conference that the CIA "didn't conclude" that Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing while hedging that he "might have done it".

Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News said on Thursday the CIA has a recording of a phone call in which the crown prince gave instructions to "silence Jamal Khashoggi as soon as possible." The possible existence of such a tape could put Trump in an awkward position if its contents are leaked given his consistent defense of Mohammed bin Salman amidst the scandal and growing calls for accountability.

Thus far the slow drip of Turkish leaks have proven accurate, and Hurriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi broke the news of the first recording that captured Khashoggi's death inside the Istanbul consulate, which proved accurate according to reports.

Selvi wrote on Thursday, "There is talk of another recording" which involves a CIA eavesdrop of a call between Mohammed bin Salman and his brother Khaled bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S.

The Turkish newspaper claimed based on its sources:

The crown prince gave an instruction to silence Jamal Khashoggi as soon as possible and this instruction was captured during [a] CIA wiretapping.

Selvi also reported that during her trip to Ankara last month, CIA Director Gina Haspel "signaled" the existence of the tape.

"It is being said that CIA chief Gina Haspel indicated this during her visit to Turkey," Selvi wrote. The revelation, though not confirmed, came a day after Turkish news site Haberturk published what it said were quotes from a tape of Khashoggi's last moments as he was apprehended the moment he stepped inside the consulate.

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