"The President received a briefing from Director Haspel this morning following her return from Turkey. She briefed the President on their findings and her discussions," Sanders said on Thursday.
Following more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia has admitted that opposition journalist Jamal Ahmad Hamza Khashoggi had been killed in a brawl inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
During the visit to Turkey, Haspel had the opportunity to review evidence gathered in the course of the investigation into the murder of Khashoggi, the Daily Sabah reported Wednesday, citing sources close to investigators.
In particular, CIA director held a meeting with senior officials at Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, where she was reportedly shown audio and video recordings, as well as other evidence collected during searches of the buildings of the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul and the residence of the consul general.
READ MORE: Turkish Police Receive Permission to Search Well at Saudi Consulate — Reports
However, Trump has stressed that he wants to keep the arms deal with Saudi Arabia despite lawmakers’ calls for blocking it.
UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Execution said that the Saudi state was responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
