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The United States Congress has been urged to investigate President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner for ties to Saudi Arabia in the wake of Jamal Khashoggi’s death.
Karen Attiah, the editor for slain journalist, called on US lawmakers Wednesday to take action over the president’s siding with the monarchy.
"It’s easy to get lost in the grief and outrage over Trump siding [with] Saudi regime that thinks nothing of butchering peaceful journalists in consulates," Attiah wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "But hope is not all lost. Congress must act, and the American people can still help."
Trump threw his support behind the monarchy and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who reportedly ordered the assassination of the former Washington Post columnist at the Saudi consulate in Turkey last month.
Trump’s statement came despite the CIA’s reported conclusion that the prince ordered it.
Attiah called Trump’s statement "full of lies and a blatant disregard for his own intelligence agencies," adding that “It also shows an unforgivable disregard for the lives of Saudis who dare criticize the regime. This is a new low."
The president, who is in a $110 billion arms deal with the kingdom, has been under pressure from US lawmakers for his support for MbS.
US lawmakers and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan maintain that the crown prince and other top Saudi leaders should be held accountable for Khashoggi’s assassination,
Saudi Arabia has acknowledged the murder, yet left many questions unanswered.
Turkish intelligence intercepts reportedly show that Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi mission in Istanbul on October 2, was murdered on a direct order from the Saudi de facto ruler.
Khashoggi had been there to obtain a document certifying he divorced his ex-wife.
