The latest on Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

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8:01 a.m. ET, October 18, 2018

Upcoming today: President Trump meets with Mike Pompeo

From CNN's Bard Wilkinson

Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images
Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images

President Trump will meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday as the White House struggles to contain a spiraling crisis over a journalist's apparent death at a Saudi consulate.

Pompeo returned to Washington on Wednesday after an emergency diplomatic mission to meet Saudi and Turkish leaders.

What Trump's been saying: Trump stressed Wednesday that he does not want to abandon Riyadh as it comes under increasing pressure to explain the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who has not been seen since entering the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2.

Trump denied that he was "giving cover" to Saudi Arabia, insisting that he wants to get to the bottom of what happened.

"I want to find out what happened, where is the fault, and we will probably know that by the end of the week. But Mike Pompeo is coming back, we're gonna have a long talk," he said.
7:08 a.m. ET, October 18, 2018

Forensics expert linked to disappearance of Khashoggi studied in Australia

From CNN’s Angus Watson

Dr. Salah Muhammad al-Tubaiqi, one of 15 Saudi men who Turkish officials believe are connected to Khashoggi's apparent death, spent three months studying at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) in Australia starting in June 2015.

Deb Withers, a spokeswoman for VIFM, told CNN on Thursday that Tubaiqi was at the institute as a forensic pathologist and that his study was paid for by the government of Saudi Arabia. 

He was the head of Saudi Arabia's Forensic Commission at the time of his visit to Australia, VIFM’s annual report from 2014-2015 notes. 

Withers told CNN that Tubaiqi’s focus while at the institute was on methods in mass body identification, particularly related to the Hajj, according to his application for the placement at the VIFM. His application included a focus on CT scanning in autopsy, or "bloodless autopsy," that is, being able to identify cause of death without cutting up a cadaver.

Withers said Tubaiqi spent time viewing autopsies, viewing procedures in the mortuary and learning from radiologists concerning CT scans. He was not permitted to perform autopsies or any other procedures.

5:40 a.m. ET, October 18, 2018

Turkish justice minister says Khashoggi investigation will be concluded soon

Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül said that the investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is ongoing but is expected to be concluded "soon."

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul October 2 but has not been seen since. Turkish authorities believe that 15 Saudi men who arrived in Istanbul on October 2 were connected to the Saudi journalist's likely death. At least some of them appear to have high-level connections in the Saudi government.

"This will be an important case in International law and discussed since it is a unique case. A very detailed and deep investigations is ongoing," Gül said.

"Right now, after many hours it is our investigators that are continuing the investigation and we are waiting for the results. I trust our police force, intelligence and criminal investigators that they are executing the job well."

3:23 a.m. ET, October 18, 2018

France's finance minister skipping Saudi Arabia investment concert over Khashoggi incident

From CNN's Saskya Vandoorne

French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks at the Bpifrance Inno Generation event in Paris on October 11.
French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks at the Bpifrance Inno Generation event in Paris on October 11. ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images

French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire is the latest world leader to drop out of a Saudi-sponsored global finance and business forum amid the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The conditions have not yet been met for me to go to Riyadh,” Le Maire told French television’s Public Senate.  “The facts are serious and we want to know the truth," the minister said.

Other high-profile attendees who pulled out include JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde and Wold Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

A list of other participants who have pulled out can be found here

1:23 a.m. ET, October 18, 2018

Former CIA agent: Trump giving Saudis cover

Former CIA operative and current CNN security analyst Bob Baer says that the President Trump is giving the Saudis cover despite what he said in the Oval Office Wednesday.

When asked about missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump said that he’s “not giving cover at all.”

“I want to find out what happened, where is the fault, and we will probably know that by the end of the week,” the President said.

But Baer said he doesn’t think this will move the needle in terms of the broader relationship between Riyadh and Washington.

“He can’t afford to lose (Crown Prince) Mohammed bin Salman, he can’t afford to break with Saudi Arabia. He’s desperately looking for a way out of this and as more information comes out and more details and forensics, the harder it’s going to be,” said Baer.

“The very fact that the FBI, even symbolically, wasn’t sent to Istanbul tells me we’re not all that interested in the details. And the United States has not called for an international investigative body to look into this, which is the obvious next step,” Baer said.

When asked by reporters, Trump declined to say whether the US has dispatched FBI agents to Istanbul in relation to the case.

“We depend upon Saudi Arabia as much as they depend on us. It’s a very ugly marriage and I don’t see it getting broken up,” said Baer.

11:38 p.m. ET, October 17, 2018

Khashoggi's final Washington Post piece published

The Washington Post has published what is likely journalist Jamal Khashoggi's final column.

The piece, which discussed why the Arab world needs freedom of expression, was accompanied by a heartfelt note from the Post's global opinions editor, Karen Attiah.

"This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together," she wrote.

Nick Kristof, a columnist at The New York Times who has known Khashoggi for 15 years, told CNN Tonight that he could hear the Saudi journalist's voice in the column.

"This is what he cared deeply about, about expanding space for freedom of expression in the Arab world, and that got him killed," Kristof said. "It's too late for us to help Jamal. It's not too late for us to exercise some of that leverage we do have to help other people."

Read his final column here

11:04 p.m. ET, October 17, 2018

Kristof: A scapegoat in Khashoggi case "would be convenient for all three countries"

New York Times columnist Nick Kristof told CNN Tonight that there may be a risk that Saudi Arabia, the United States and Turkey may look for a "fall guy" to take the blame if it's found that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed when he disappeared inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

Turkish officials have told CNN that Khashoggi's body was dismembered after he was killed in the consulate, and Middle East experts say such a mission would have had to have been approved at the highest levels.

A scapegoat would be convenient for the Saudi Arabia because it would shift blame and embarrassment from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the throne in the kingdom.

"That would be convenient for all three countries," Kristof said. "There is some risk that the three of these (countries) will agree on some weak and unconvincing explanation from MBS blaming it on somebody else."

The Trump administration has bet on Saudi Arabia and specifically the crown prince as a key partner to help stabilize the Middle East and act as a counterweight to Iran. MBS, as he's known colloquially, was touted as a reformer in his rise to power but his aggressive policies -- including sponsoring a war in Yemen and purging much of his opposition -- have worried the West.

9:59 p.m. ET, October 17, 2018

Council Of Arab Interior Ministers secretary-general calls on media to avoid speculation

From CNNs Mohammed Tawfeeq

The secretary-general of the Council of Arab Ministers of the Interior, Mohammed bin Ali Koman, called on the media to avoid speculating on what happened to missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi before the investigation has concluded, according to a report in Saudi state news agency SPA.

He also welcomed the formation of a joint working group from Saudi and Turkish experts to investigate the case, SPA reported.

The call for patience echoes similar statements from US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"I think we have to find out what happened first," Trump said when asked by The Associated Press if he believes Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Pompeo refused to talk about the facts of the case when asked Wednesday.

"They (the Saudis) want to have the opportunity to complete this investigation in a thorough way, and I think that's a reasonable thing to do, to give them that opportunity. And then we'll all get to judge, we'll all get to evaluate the work that they do," Pompeo said.

7:57 p.m. ET, October 17, 2018

GOP senator: Khashoggi's disappearance won't be "swept under the rug"

From CNN's Mick Krever

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse said he believes there should be an "international investigation" into what happened to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and added that his disappearance will not be "swept under the rug."

"I have lots of confidence in the US intelligence community," the Nebraska lawmaker told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday. "And I think that they're building information that's very useful for the President to understand, and I hope he's listening to all that information -- not just the arguments that are coming from Saudi officials."

Asked whether he would vote to sanction Saudi Arabia should it be proven that the country's leadership ordered the death of Khashoggi, Sasse said that "everything needs to be on the table."

"I think the Saudis need to understand there's a big appetite in Washington to put lots of stuff on the table. This is not a small matter that will be swept under the rug."