America: US Senate opposition and similar atmosphere in the House of representative show Congress defying US administration and mounting pressure on the US President Donald Trump for supporting Saudi Arabia's aggression on besieged impoverished country of Yemen when Riyadh and also US are engaged in the Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi savage killing and its international scandal and condemnation, Iran Press reported.
The Republican-controlled US Senate is defying President Donald Trump’s pro-Saudi policies by advancing a bipartisan bid to end the country’s support for the war on Yemen amid tensions over Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
Although the White House had urged a "no" vote to US Senate bipartisan bid to end the country’s support for the war on Yemen, American senators voted 63-37 to ending Washington’s support for the Saudi-led aggression on Yemen on Wednesday (28 Nov, 2018).
Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to reporters at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on November 28, 2018.
Co-sponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders, Mike Lee and Chris Murphy, the bill would oblige Trump to stop support for the Saudi according to War Powers Resolution approved in 1973 (WPR).
The new measure at Congress would harm ties between Trump and the Saudi de facto leader as the two are preparing to take part at the G20 gathering in Buenos Aires from November 30 and December 1.
Related News: Mohammed bin Salman may be charged with war crimes at G20 summit in Argentina
The White House released a statement, warning that such a measure "would harm bilateral relationships in the region and negatively impact the ability of the United States to prevent the spread of violent extremist organizations." White House statement further suggested that the president might veto such resolution.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the press after briefing members of the Senate on the current relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States on Capitol Hill on November 28 in Washington, DC.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis visited Capitol Hill Wednesday morning to lobby against the resolution. Emerging from the briefing, Pompeo said the vote would be "poorly timed" as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict are underway.
Also Defense Secretary Jim Mattis claims there's "no smoking gun" connecting the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to the Saudi crown prince.
Mattis tells reporters that he went over intelligence reports and read translations of tapes twice, and that none of it directly ties the killing to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"No smoking gun" connecting between the murder of Khashoggi to the Saudi crown prince: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis
On November 28, Mattis spoke after he and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefed senators on the U.S. response to Khashoggi's killing. Mattis added the meeting included exhaustive discussions and that lawmakers expressed frustration with U.S. support to Saudi Arabia.
The savage killing of Saudi dissident journalist once again put the Saudi human right violations and this country role in killing of Yemeni civilian by arming Saudi Arabia on the world eyes. Many countries and Germany at the frontline urge stopping arms sale to Saudi Arabia, But US as biggest arms provider for Saudis refuse to do so.
The Saudi-led war on Yemen has also led to a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country. The UN has already said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.
Related News: Trump strongly defends ties with Saudi Arabia
Trump has thrown his support behind Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who reportedly ordered the assassination of the dissident journalist and Washington Post columnist at the Saudi consulate in Turkey last month.
The CIA has provided the US administration with a recorded voice tape from Khashoggi’s murder Scene, which Trump has refused to listen to.
Mohammad Bin Salman Saudi Crown Prince
Related News: CIA says Bin Salman ordered Khashoggi assassination: Washington Post
The willingness of US President Donald Trump to defend the Saudi crown prince and Riyadh despite the CIA's assessment that Bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's killing raised questions about Trump's motives and, in particular, his direct ties to the country.
Trump still support Saudis amid widespread international condemnation while he forces to say on October 23, 2018 that Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi this month.
Jamal Khashoggi once a close aid of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and later active critic and dissident of al-Saud regime entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, but he never came out of that building alive. After 18 days of silence finally Saudi officials forced to admit that dissident journalist killed inside Saudi consulate in Istanbul. 205/103
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