POLITICS FEBRUARY 7, 2019 / 2:35 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

U.S. lawmakers renew push for penalties against Saudi Arabia

Patricia Zengerle
4 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers renewed their push on Thursday to penalize Saudi Arabia for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, introducing legislation to bar some arms sales and impose sanctions on those responsible for his death.

Democrats Bob Menendez, Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Murphy and Republicans Todd Young, Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins introduced the bill one day before the Feb. 8 deadline for President Donald Trump’s administration to submit a report to Congress on whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s killing.

Congressional aides said they had been given no indication that the administration would meet that deadline. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, a United Nations-led inquiry into the Khashoggi’s murder said on Thursday that evidence pointed to a brutal crime “planned and perpetrated” by Saudi officials.

Among other things, the “Saudi Arabia Accountability and Yemen Act of 2019” would impose mandatory sanctions on anyone found responsible for the death of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and columnist for the Washington Post.

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