Thread by @Monaheart1229

Senators, Furious Over Khashoggi Killing, Spurn President on War in Yemen
#ThursdayThoughts
nyti.ms/2DRarSf

2/"WASHINGTON — Furious over being denied a C.I.A. briefing on the killing of a Saudi journalist, senators from both parties spurned the Trump administration on Wednesday with a stinging vote to consider ending American military support for the Saudi-backed war in Yemen.

3/"The Senate voted 63 to 37 to bring to the floor a measure to limit presidential war powers in Yemen. It was the strongest signal yet that Republican and Democratic senators alike remain vehemently skeptical of the administration’s insistence that the Saudi crown prince cannot

4/"with certainty, be blamed for the death of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.While the vote showed widespread disapproval of the administration’s stance, it did not necessarily indicate that the measure would ultimately be approved. It took place hours after Secretary of State

5/"Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis briefed senators about the Yemen conflict in a classified discussion, which the administration had hoped would persuade lawmakers that Saudi Arabia must remain a vital American ally. But many senators had insisted that Gina Haspel,

6/"the C.I.A. director, also be there to answer questions about Mr. Khashoggi’s death. American officials have said the C.I.A., which Mr. Pompeo led until the spring, has concluded that the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, ordered the killing in the Saudi Consulate in

7/"Istanbul last month.Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and a stalwart supporter of President Trump in recent months, vowed to freeze the administration’s legislative priorities until Ms. Haspel spoke to the Senate.“I’m talking about any key vote. Anything

8/"that you need me for to get out of town, I ain’t doing it until we hear from the C.I.A.,” Mr. Graham told reporters after the 90-minute briefing at the Capitol. He also promised there would “be no business as usual with Saudi Arabia” if American intelligence confirmed that

9/"Prince Mohammed was involved in Mr. Khashoggi’s killing. One United States official said that was precisely why the administration did not want Ms. Haspel to participate in the briefing. The C.I.A.’s press secretary, Timothy Barrett, denied that Ms. Haspel was blocked from

10/"attending and noted that agency officials had already discussed its findings with the Senate Intelligence Committee and congressional leaders. The vote was striking for its defections by Republicans who in the past had supported the yearslong military alliance between the

11/"United States and Saudi Arabia. As part of the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen, which began with a bombing campaign in 2015, the Pentagon is mostly providing military advisers and intelligence. Mr. Graham initially rejected Wednesday’s measure, then huddled

12/"with colleagues and switched his vote. Thirteen other Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to end American military action in Yemen — with the exception of operations against Al Qaeda. A similar measure in March was rejected by the Senate, with only 44 votes in support.

13/"Senators Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, and Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, pushed to force a vote on the latest resolution. Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, the retiring chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said that he had previously backed arms

14/"sales to the Saudis but was now in a different place. He estimated that 80 percent of the senators who attended Wednesday’s briefing left dissatisfied with the administration’s explanation about Mr. Khashoggi’s death. “As to whether the crown prince was involved in this

15/"killing, it’s my belief that he was,” Mr. Corker said on the Senate floor. “It’s my belief that he ordered it.” Prince Mohammed “has done nothing to show ownership over what has happened,” Mr. Corker said. “And that is an affront

16/"not just to the American people, but it’s an affront to the world.” After the briefing, Mr. Pompeo said there was “no direct reporting connecting the crown prince to the order to murder Jamal Khashoggi.” Separately, Mr. Mattis told reporters on the steps of the Pentagon that

17/"“we have no smoking gun the crown prince was involved.” The war powers measure still faces several procedural hurdles before a final Senate vote. Even if it is approved, it is unlikely to pass the House before the congressional session concludes at the end of the year.

18/"It has a better chance in the House next year, when Democrats take over the majority. The final vote in the Senate is likely to be scheduled for next week — giving the Trump administration time to win back Republicans and hold on to a

19/"Middle East strategy that has been largely built around a blossoming partnership with Prince Mohammed...."
~excerpt from NYT, Gardiner Harris, Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, Nicholas Fandos, 11/28/18