MEDIA/MIKE POMPEO/SAUDI ARABIA/STEVE MNUCHIN/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump acknowledged Thursday [10-18-18] it ‘certainly looks’ as though missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened ‘very severe’ consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him. His warning came as the administration toughened its response to a disappearance that has sparked global outrage. Before Trump spoke, the administration announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had pulled out of a major upcoming Saudi investment conference and a U.S. official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader is at stake. Pompeo said the Saudis should be given a few more days to finish and make public a credible investigation before the U.S. decides ‘how or if’ to respond. Trump’s comments, however, signaled an urgency in completing the probe into the disappearance of the journalist, last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.”
–The Associated Press, “Trump Concedes Khashoggi Likely Dead, Threatens Consequences,” The New York Times online, October 18, 2018