Corker: Trump administration 'clamped down' on Saudi intel, canceled briefing

Source: The Hill | October 17, 2018 | Jordain Carney

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday that the Trump administration is restricting access to information about a missing Saudi journalist, a move that comes as President Trump has publicly echoed denials of wrongdoing from top Saudi officials.

Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told The Washington Post that the administration had “clamped down” on sharing intelligence about Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government who has been missing for more than two weeks.  

“I can only surmise that probably the intel is not painting a pretty picture as it relates to Saudi Arabia,” Corker told The Post.

Corker added that the administration canceled an intelligence briefing scheduled for Tuesday and that he was told additional information would not  be shared with the Senate at this time, a development he described as “disappointing.”

Spokespeople for Corker didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill on Wednesday night.

With the Senate out of town for a roughly month-long recess, Corker has remained largely silent this week as the latest drama around Khashoggi’s disappearance and potential slaying has played out on the world stage.

But he told reporters late last week that “everything indicates” that Khashoggi was murdered by the Saudis.

He went a step further on Wednesday, telling the Post that, based on earlier intelligence he was able to review, “everything points … to MBS,” he said referring to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“This could not have happened without his approval,” Corker added.

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