The US Senate on Wednesday voted for the open debate on the resolution calling for an end to us support for the coalition’s strikes led by Saudi Arabia on Yemen. Thus, the murder of a Saudi journalist Jamal Hashkaji continues to have a negative influence on the relationship between the administration of D. Trump and the Congress.
The Senate, by 60 votes to 39, voted in favor of an open debate on a resolution sponsored by Republican Senator Mike Lee and independent Senator Bernie Sanders, signalling about strengthened consensus between the two parties on the revision of Saudi Arabia’s role in Hashkaji’s death and the Yemeni conflict, and revision of the bilateral relations in General.
However, it remains unclear how the amendments to the resolution will affect the final vote, which may take place later.
Bob Corker, Chairman of the US Senate foreign Affairs Committee, told the media that he was preparing a separate resolution condemning the journalist’s murder. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell urged senators to vote for Corker’s proposal.
If both resolutions are adopted, they will be a serious challenge to the administration of D. Trump, which claims that there is no evidence of direct involvement of the Saudi crown Prince to the death of J.Hashkaji. The white house is no hurry to punish the Kingdom, despite the conclusion of American intelligence on the involvement of the Saudi leader in the murder.
Recall that J. Hashkaji, who was a columnist for the American newspaper the Washington post, went missing in Turkey on October 2 after he entered the building of the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. The Saudi authorities said that he was killed in a” fight ” at the Consulate. They also deny the existence of an order from the Saudi crown Prince to kill the journalist.
