US Intel Community Must Brief Congress On Khashoggi's Murder Investigation - Lawmaker

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2018) US intelligence agencies should brief Congress on the findings of the murder of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi, US Congressman Eliot Engel said in a press release.

"Congress needs to be briefed by the intelligence community, and we need answers about why the Administration has behaved the way it has in the wake of this incident," the release said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump issued a statement declaring the United States' continuing partnership with Saudi Arabia.

Trump said he thinks of placing the US national interest first and warned that the Saudis could easily start buying weapons from Russia or China if the United States exit the existing arms contracts with Saudi Arabia worth hundreds of billions of Dollars.

Engel said that it would take a long time for Russia and China to reequip Saudi military, which gives the United States tremendous leverage, and the Trump administration could put forward its demands without a fear of losing a partner.

However, Engel admitted that Saudi Arabia remains a critical ally for the United States in the efforts to combat Iran's malign behavior in the middle East.