RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressed Saudi leaders Tuesday to move quickly with a “transparent” investigation of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi even as Turkish officials sifted through possible evidence at the last place the journalist was seen alive.
Turkish officials have said they think a Saudi hit team killed Khashoggi earlier this month after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. On Monday, forensic experts had their first chance to comb the site.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied any role in the disappearance of Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributing columnist who had been critical of the Saudi leadership. But international pressure has been mounting on the Saudi ruling family amid the conflicting accounts.
The Associated Press, citing Turkish police sources, reported Tuesday that evidence indicated that Khashoggi was killed at the consulate, which he visited Oct. 2 get a document needed so he could marry.
The AP report could not be independently confirmed, and it gave no specific details about the evidence collected.
[Turkish investigators search Saudi Consulate where journalist was last seen]
But it reflected Turkey’s efforts to build its case against Saudi Arabia and possibly influence other nations as they weigh whether to reevaluate commercial and political ties with the kingdom. Some Western leaders and business executives have pulled out of a major investment forum in Saudi Arabia next week.
Amid the fallout, Turkish officials told the BBC that the Saudi consul general in Istanbul returned to Riyadh, the latest top Saudi diplomat to return home for consultations.
Meanwhile, President Trump dispatched Pompeo to the Saudi capital for talks with King Salman, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader.
“Secretary Pompeo conveyed the importance of a conducting a thorough, transparent and timely investigation,” said Heather Nauert, a spokeswoman for the State Department.
Nauert said Pompeo called Trump and national security adviser John Bolton to update them on the meetings.
“While the United States has a number of regional and bilateral issues to discuss with Saudi leadership, learning what happened to Jamal Khashoggi is the primary purpose of this trip and is of great interest to the president,” Nauert said. “The secretary has made that clear in each of his meetings today.”
[Saudi Arabia forcefully rejects ‘threats’ over Khashoggi disappearance]
In public, however, Pompeo never mentioned Khashoggi, a U.S. resident.
The secretary of state was all smiles, his hand outstretched, as he approached the crown prince.
“We are strong and old allies,” Mohammed told Pompeo before reporters were ushered out. “We face our challenges together — the past, the day of, tomorrow.”
Pompeo replied with enthusiasm: “Absolutely.”
Throughout the day, his aides offered no response to media reports that the Saudis may be prepared to change their story and acknowledge that Khashoggi is dead. They have insisted that he left the consulate with the document he sought and that they have no idea what happened to him.
In Istanbul, it was unclear what possible clues the Turkish forensic team found.
Hours before the team arrived, journalists photographed a cleaning crew entering the consulate with buckets, mops and what appeared to be cleaning solution. When investigators entered the building, they said they smelled chemicals, according to two officials in contact with the investigators.
U.S. officials began predicting over the weekend, however, that the Saudis would inevitably admit complicity in Khashoggi’s death and claim a “botched operation,” said one person familiar with the discussions.
Over the past few days, Saudi officials have discussed issuing a statement that, in part, would mention a failed operation and call for the punishment of culpable officials, said another person with knowledge of the discussions. The statement would be issued only after Saudi Arabia reached an agreement with Turkey on how to proceed with the investigation, the person said.
An agreement allowing the inspection of the consulate came after Salman called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday. Salman thanked him for welcoming the kingdom’s proposal to set up a “joint working group” to investigate Khashoggi’s disappearance, a Saudi statement said.
[Finance CEOs pull out of Saudi ‘Davos in the Desert’ over Khashoggi case]
Speaking to reporters, Trump said Monday that he had talked with the king for about 20 minutes and that Salman had firmly denied the kingdom’s involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance.
“I don’t want to get into his mind, but it sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers,” Trump added. “Who knows? We’re going to try getting to get to the bottom of it very soon, but his was a flat denial.”
It was unclear whether Trump’s mention of “rogue killers” was his own speculation, a theory he had heard from the king or an intended confirmation that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate.
Trump had previously warned of “severe punishment” for Saudi Arabia if a link to Khashoggi’s death is proved.
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump political ally, pushed even harder Tuesday, calling the Saudi crown prince “toxic” and saying, “This guy has got to go.”
Graham’s comments, on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” underscored the apparent frustration by some in Congress about the 33-year-old crown prince and his crackdowns on dissent.
“He had this guy murdered in the consulate in Turkey. Expect me to ignore it? I feel used and abused,” Graham said, referring to his previous advocacy for Saudi Arabia as a senator. “I was on the floor every time defending Saudi Arabia because they are a good ally.”
Turkish officials have released details of their investigation, including video that suggests that a team of Saudi agents was dispatched to Istanbul either to capture Khashoggi or kill him.
The Turkish government has told the Trump administration that it has audio and video recordings of what occurred inside the consulate that day. U.S. officials have said this material supports the conclusion that Khashoggi was interrogated, tortured and killed.
Cunningham reported from Istanbul. Kareem Fahim and Souad Mekhennet in Istanbul and John Wagner in Washington contributed to this report.
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