Castro Statement on New Sanctions in Response to Murder of Jamal Khashoggi
WASHINGTON—Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, today released the following statement:
“The sanctions announced today against 17 Saudi nationals, including close aides of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is a good first step in bringing justice in the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We cannot continue giving the Saudis a blank check to operate nefariously as they please, and these sanctions hold some in the regime accountable for their involvement in this assassination. These sanctions also send a clear signal to the Kingdom and others that targeting journalists and any political opponents will not be tolerated by the free world. Given that the United States assessment does not match up with the Saudi prosecutor’s charges, we must continue investigating where this murder plot originated and bring all of those involved to justice—no matter how high they are within the Saudi regime. The United States must continue assessing our relationship with Saudi Arabia given this behavior, including U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen, while continuing to work with our allies to push back on Iran’s destabilizing behavior.”
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