Bipartisan Chorus Calls for Punishing Saudis as Trump Accuses Them of ‘Deception’
Mr. Corker, who has often been critical of the president, said he hoped to get access this week to recordings that Turkish officials have said show that Mr. Khashoggi was tortured and dismembered.
Others called for serious punishments against Saudi Arabia, though any action will have to wait until Congress returns after the midterm elections next month. Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, suggested that the United States consider ending arms sales to the Saudis, while Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, said the Trump administration should consider pressing for the removal of the crown prince if it could be proved that he was behind the killing.
“Saudi’s got a lot of explaining to do, and I think everything should be on the table,” Mr. Sasse said on CNN, adding, “I think the cover stories from the Saudis are a mess. You don’t bring a bone saw to an accidental fistfight inside an embassy in Turkey, or a consulate in Turkey. So the Saudis have said a whole bunch of crap that’s not right, accurate or true.”
Mr. Tillis, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said that “there has to be a consequence” for the death of Mr. Khashoggi. Asked if that consequence should include pressing King Salman to remove Prince Mohammed, he said, “I think it is to hold the people accountable who committed this horrible act, and if it is the crown prince, then I think that that is something that has to be explored.”
“If the facts lead to what we all suspect they will, I think it’ll be very problematic for our relationship going forward,” Mr. Tillis added, referring to the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said on “Meet the Press” that the United States should expel the Saudi ambassador, and that American allies should follow suit.
“Unless the Saudi kingdom understands that civilized countries around the world are going to reject this conduct and make sure that they pay a price for it, they’ll continue doing it,” Mr. Durbin said.