Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Sunday that he’d be open to punishing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directly if he’s found responsible in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Tillis said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it appears the crown prince was involved in the incident based on the 18 people detained in connection with Khashoggi’s death. He argued those behind the killing should face consequences, and appeared open to a response that would include the removal of Mohammed as crown prince.
“I think it is to hold the people accountable who committed this horrible act, and if it is the crown prince then I think that is something that has to be explored,” Tillis said when asked whether the goal of consequences should be to get King Salman to name a new crown prince.
{mosads}”I don’t believe that you can have someone that would authorize this sort of an act be in a position of power with a nation that’s very important to us, but we have to have limits as to how far we would go to work with them in a very difficult, complex part of the world,” Tillis said.
Saudi officials announced Friday that Khashoggi was killed in a “fight” gone awry at the consulate, and that 18 people had been detained in connection to the incident. That announcement came after days of Saudi denials that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate.
The explanation promptly drew skepticism from U.S. senators and Khashoggi’s former colleagues, who said the idea of the 59-year-old getting into a fight with Saudi security officials did not seem credible.
President Trump called the explanation a “good first step,” but on Saturday acknowledged to The Washington Post that the Saudi comments about Khashoggi’s disappearance were constantly changing.
The president has walked a fine line in the wake of the journalist’s disappearance, at times vowing harsh punishment for those responsible and alternatively defending the importance of the economic relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
While the president has appeared publicly accepting of Saudi Arabia’s explanations of the incident, Tillis expressed confidence that the administration will act appropriately “when all the facts are in.” He added that the Trump administration has committed “a lot of resources” to determining what happened.
“If the facts lead to what we all suspect they will, I think it’ll be very problematic for our relationship going forward,” Tillis said of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.