Saudi foreign minister offers ‘condolences’ to Khashoggi family

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in his first on-camera interview since the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi offered his “condolences” to The Washington Post contributor’s family. 

Fox News’s Bret Baier asked al-Jubeir if he had a “message” for Khashoggi’s family following Saudi Arabia’s confirmation that he was murdered by a team of Saudi agents.

{mosads}”This is a terrible mistake, this is a terrible tragedy,” al-Jubeir said. “Our condolences go out to them, we feel their pain.” 

“I wish this didn’t happen and I wish this could’ve been avoided,” he continued. “Unfortunately, a huge and grave mistake was made and I assure them that those responsible will be held accountable for this.”

Al-Jubeir throughout the interview insisted that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not authorize Khashoggi’s slaying. He repeated the Saudi government’s official account that Khashoggi was killed during a brawl with Saudi agents in Istanbul’s Saudi consulate, in a confrontation orchestrated by officials without the crown prince’s permission. 

This account has been received with international skepticism. Many U.S. lawmakers and European countries have pointed out suspects associated with Khashoggi’s murder were members of the crown prince’s security team. They have also said it is unlikely that such a high-level attack could have been organized without the government’s knowledge. 

Al-Jubeir encouraged all of those watching the case to wait for the Saudi investigation to be completed.

“We are trying to find out how they were assembled, how they were dispatched, [and] trying to ascertain the facts,” he said.

When Baier asked whether the crown prince was involved, al-Jubeir insisted he was not. 

“There is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” the Saudi foreign minister told Baier. “In this case, people have turned that upside-down, unfortunately.” 

His comment echoes remarks made by the president last week. President Trump at the time told The Associated Press that Khashoggi’s murder was another case of “guilty until proven innocent,” comparing it to the sexual misconduct allegations against now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.  

Al-Jubeir also called the mission a “rogue operation,” using the same language as the president, who last week said Khashoggi could be have been killed by “rogue killers.” 

The Saudi foreign minister emphasized repeatedly that the Saudi government hopes to repair relations with the U.S. after their investigation is complete. 

He said the Saudi government will refer those found responsible for Khashoggi’s death to the courts, where they will be sentenced. 

“I believe that when the investigation’s over and the facts have been revealed and … people know who is responsible, and see those individuals being punished, and see procedures put in place to prevent this from happening, that the relationship will weather this,” al-Jubeir said.

U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have reacted with outrage to the news of Khashoggi’s death. Khashoggi was a Washington Post contributor and leading critic of the Saudi kingdom.

Multiple Republicans and Democrats have called for sanctions and other punitive measures against the Saudis, including an end to the lucrative trade relationship between the two countries and a freeze on U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s bloody civil war.