Former State Dept official blasts Pompeo for allowing Saudis to investigate themselves over Khashoggi disappearance

Joel Reuben, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State during the Obama administration, blasted the "very soft commitment" Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accepted from the Saudi kingdom with regard to the investigation into disappeared journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the Saudis were controlling the narrative.


"That's a very soft commitment that the secretary got from the Saudis," said a clearly unimpressed Reuben after Pompeo's brief press appearance. "I don't understand why the United States is not sending our own investigators to this site to have an independent verification of what took place."

"One could really drive a truck through this, and the Saudis clearly right now are in control of the narrative," he added, saying the investigation lacked credibility "I don't know why they need a few more days, per se. I'm not sure what difference that will make, but we need to have an independent body that will look at this as well."

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