House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff on Friday formally asked Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to declassify a report on the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Why it matters: The Washington Post has reported that the CIA concluded with a high degree of confidence that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — a close ally of the Trump administration — ordered Khashoggi's assassination. The Trump administration never released the report to the public.
- A 2019 United Nations investigation into Khashoggi's death also concluded that he was murdered by associates of MBS.
- Haines, who was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday, vowed in her confirmation hearing to release the report.
What they're saying: "The brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi was an assault on human rights," Schiff tweeted. "But for a year the Trump Admin refused to make public an unclassified report on Saudi Arabia's culpability. I have asked Director Haines to declassify this report. There must be accountability and justice."
