US President Donald Trump is “playing games” with regard to the disappearance of a dissident Saudi journalist at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, says a political analyst.
Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and a US resident, disappeared on October 2 after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish authorities believe he was tortured and killed inside the building by a team of Saudi operatives who removed his dismembered body.
Trump, who has forged close ties with Saudi Arabia, has come under pressure at home and abroad to punish Riyadh if investigations show the regime had Khashoggi killed.
The president has not said what measures his administration would take if Saudi Arabia is found to be responsible, but he made clear any punishment would not involve suspending the arms deals.
“President Trump is simply playing games at this point, he knows very well, his intelligence…