Congressman Gerry Connolly, D-Va., has invited Hatice Cengiz, Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancée, as his guest for Tuesday’s State of the Union Address.
“Hatice’s courage to sit in the House Chamber Tuesday night should serve as a clarion call to the President that no matter how high it goes, Saudi Arabia must be held accountable for the murder of this loving father and fiancée, respected journalist, U.S. resident, my constituent, and reformer,” Connolly said. “Congress has acted. Now too must the President.”
Khashoggi, a Virginia resident, a columnist for the Washington Post, and a critic of the Saudi regime, was murdered and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, during a visit to obtain documents related to his upcoming marriage to Cengiz.
The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, a subject of Khashoggi’s criticism, ordered his assassination.
Connolly has introduced the Protection of Saudi Dissidents Act, legislation to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
Despite bipartisan congressional efforts to hold Saudi Arabia accountable, the Trump administration has continued to provide arms and military training to the Saudis. In June, Connolly successfully offered an amendment to the FY 2020 Appropriations Package that would bar Saudi Arabia from receiving assistance provided by the International Military Education and Training program.
In an 2018 Washington Post OpEd, Connolly said Saudi Arabia must pay for Khashoggi’s murder.
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Chris Graham
