MEDIA/MIKE POMPEO/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TURKEY: “President Donald Trump denied Friday [10-19-18] that his secretary of state was ever provided recordings of the alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, refuting a Friday report by ABC News…ABC News cited a senior Turkish official who told the network that Pompeo heard an audio recording of Khashoggi being murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and that he was given a transcript of the recording. Pompeo visited Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week to investigate the journalist’s disappearance and received criticism for publicly cozying up to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who it is alleged likely played a role in orchestrating Khashoggi’s reported assassination.Reports arose this week of a recording detailing Khashoggi’s gruesome death and dismemberment at the hands of a Saudi hit squad. In it, one alleged member of the squad advises others to listen to music to calm themselves while dismembering Khashoggi’s body.”
–Matthew Choi, “Trump denies Pompeo heard recording of Khashoggi in Saudi consulate,” Politico, October 19, 2018 4:45 pm