[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 186 (Tuesday, November 27, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7118-S7119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Death of Jamal Khashoggi

  Mr. President, I now turn to another topic. I rise today to call for 
a forceful response to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and to hold the 
Saudi Government accountable at the highest levels. Our country is 
stronger and safer when our core democratic values--values of freedom 
of the press and the protection of human rights--are at the heart of 
our foreign policy.
  It has been almost 2 months since Jamal Khashoggi's heinous murder. 
He was a resident of the United States and a respected journalist with 
the Washington Post. People across our country have been rightfully 
appalled by his death. All he was doing was going inside the consulate 
in Turkey to try to get his marriage papers so that he could get 
married to his fiancee. That was what was happening, but it turns out 
he was actually lured there--lured to his death.
  We were then treated to an incredible coverup by the Saudi 
Government, with shifting explanations, inadequate cooperation with 
investigations, and use of authoritarian tactics to silence critics. 
News reports have made it clear that the CIA believes with high 
confidence that the attack was called for at the highest level of the 
Saudi Government.
  I look forward to hearing from Secretaries Pompeo and Mattis 
regarding how the administration plans to respond when we have the 
briefing that

[[Page S7119]]

has been scheduled for tomorrow. Unfortunately, the President has 
repeatedly dismissed his own intelligence community's assessment of 
these deeply troubling events. Of course, this is not the first time we 
have heard this. We heard this with Russia, when every single one of 
his intelligence heads clearly said that there had been interference in 
the last elections and that the Russians were emboldened to do it 
again. But the President again backed away from that, did not embrace 
that assessment, and then made policy decisions and statements when he 
was with Vladimir Putin that undermined that intelligence community. 
This appears to be what we are seeing again.
  The President's response stands in stark contrast to the founding 
principles of our democracy. If the President refuses to defend the 
values of this country, then this Congress must.
  First, we must hold anyone who ordered and participated--including 
the Crown Prince--in Mr. Khashoggi's death responsible. To do that, the 
administration must conduct a full, transparent, and credible 
investigation.
  Second, while the sanctions that the administration has imposed on 17 
Saudi officials are an important first step, more must be done. I 
support Senators Corker and Menendez in calling on the President to 
report to Congress on whether the Crown Prince is responsible for this 
murder. That is what they are supposed to do under the Global Magnitsky 
Act. If, as reports suggest that the CIA has assessed, the Crown Prince 
was involved, the sanctions must apply to him too. No one is above the 
law.
  Third, I support suspending nuclear energy talks with Saudi Arabia. 
It has recently been revealed that the administration has been in 
extensive talks with Saudi Arabia about nuclear energy. I appreciate 
that five of my Republican colleagues have come out in favor of 
suspending these talks, and, of course, that is the right thing to do.
  Fourth, I will work with a bipartisan group of my colleagues to limit 
the sale of weapons to the Saudi military. This is our leverage. This 
is our leverage to ensure that this investigation is completed; to 
ensure that these sanctions are implemented and followed; to ensure 
that this never happens again; and also to send a message to the rest 
of the world--all of the authoritarian regimes who are watching what 
happens here--that you don't do this to journalists for American 
newspapers, that you don't do this to American residents who are simply 
going back to get their marriage completed.
  I previously voted against arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and I will 
continue to oppose the sale of certain weapons--particularly offensive 
weapons--to the Kingdom.
  The Saudi Armed Forces are so reliant on U.S. military equipment that 
this argument that they are going to immediately shift to Russia and 
Chinese suppliers--that would be extremely difficult. So we should 
exert the leverage that we have now.
  There is no question that the United States and Saudi Arabia have 
common interests in the region and that for many, many years, Saudi 
Arabia has been our partner. But partnership doesn't require 
sacrificing our values in exchange for promises of arms sales, oil, or 
other financial gain. We must be able to cooperate with our partners in 
the region, while at the same time making clear that we will not 
overlook human rights abuses or the suppression of peaceful dissent.
  The recent actions of the Crown Prince, who many hoped would be a 
forward-looking reformer, have raised serious questions about our 
relationship with our partner Saudi Arabia. From expelling the Canadian 
Ambassador because of a tweet, to the suppression and murder of 
political dissidents, to what happened with Mr. Khashoggi, to 
ruthlessly pursuing a war that has resulted in countless civilian 
casualties in Yemen--the brazen actions of the Saudi leadership must be 
confronted head-on.
  The ongoing war in Yemen has created one of the world's worst 
humanitarian catastrophes that will impact the safety, security, and 
stability of the country for decades to come. All you have to do is 
look at the photos of those little children starving to know that this 
is wrong.
  While I support the administration's recent decision to suspend U.S. 
aerial refueling for the Saudi coalition, I am concerned that the 
administration lacks a comprehensive strategy for ending the conflict, 
including effectively countering Iranian influence. I believe it is 
very important, by the way, that we put this suspension into law.
  I supported a resolution that would have ended U.S. support for the 
Saudi-led coalition military action in Yemen. I supported that when we 
voted on it last time and voted for the McCain National Defense 
Authorization Act, which included a provision that prevented the U.S. 
military from supporting the Saudi-led coalition's operations unless 
Saudi Arabia takes steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and end 
the war in Yemen.
  I also support the comprehensive, bipartisan legislation introduced 
by my colleagues to ensure effective oversight of the U.S. policy on 
Yemen and demand meaningful accountability for the murder of Mr. 
Khashoggi. Provisions of this legislation, including the suspension of 
weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, imposition of mandatory sanctions on 
people involved in the death of Mr. Khashoggi, and a prohibition on 
U.S. refueling of the Saudi coalition aircraft engaged in the civil 
war, are very important.
  Our response to this murder and the Saudi regime's ruthless 
suppression of dissent will serve as a lesson to other nations that 
would do the same.
  I have really appreciated the Presiding Officer, Senator Flake, 
standing up for the freedom of the press. Mr. Khashoggi was a 
journalist. He was simply doing his job. He was doing it with grace. He 
did it all over the world. And he loved his home country, and look what 
happened to him.
  We must demonstrate that it is unacceptable to suppress, to imprison, 
and to violently target peaceful opponents of any regime or reporters 
and that the United States will always defend human rights and hold 
anyone guilty of violating those rights accountable. Strong, bipartisan 
congressional leadership will help us demonstrate our resolve. I urge 
my colleagues to join me in supporting our colleagues' resolution that 
will come before the Senate, I hope, later this week.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Flake). The Senator from Arizona.