Kaine Statement on Trump's Response to Khashoggi Murder

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement on President Trump’s response to U.S. intelligence reports concluding that the Saudi crown prince ordered the death of Virginia resident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi:  

“Standing with Saudi Arabia is not ‘America First!’ President Trump has sided with a murderous regime over patriotic American intelligence officials. In light of this latest failure by the President to stand up for the U.S. on the world stage, it’s now on Congress to take action by cutting off arms sales, ending support for the disastrous war in Yemen, and demanding true accountability for the Saudi regime’s murder of a Virginia resident and continued human rights abuses.”

Kaine has been outspoken on the Saudi-sponsored murder of Jamal Khashoggi and has called to cease arms sales to Saudi Arabia until there is real accountability for Khashoggi’s death and dramatic improvement in the nation’s treatment of journalists and political dissidents. Last month, Kaine joined a bipartisan group of Senators to trigger a Global Magnitsky investigation and sanctions following the murder of Khashoggi.