SINGAPORE -- U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said Tuesday that an audio recording of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul did not appear to provide any link between the killers and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Bolton, speaking on the sidelines of a regional summit in Singapore, said that though he had not listened to the tape himself, "those who have listened to it" concluded that Saudi Arabia's crown prince is not implicated.
A recording of the Oct. 2 operation, alleged to have been carried out by a 15-man hit squad inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, has been shared with Western intelligence officials. The office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that transcripts of the audio have also been shared with the agencies.
Western diplomats and Turkish officials say it would be difficult to carry out such an operation without the approval of the crown prince. At least one member of the Saudi hit squad had served as Mohammed's bodyguard.
According to a New York Times report published Monday, citing three people familiar with the recording, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, the bodyguard, can be heard making a phone call after Khashoggi's death. "Tell your boss," he is reported to have said.
Khashoggi was a former palace insider and Washington Post contributing columnist who lived in self-imposed exile in Virginia, telling friends he feared the reach of the Saudi state.
Since coming to power, Mohammed has launched a sweeping social overhaul at home while adopting hawkish policies abroad. He has also led a far-reaching crackdown on perceived opponents, detaining activists, clerics and dozens of princes.
President Donald Trump's administration views the powerful crown prince as a vital partner. Saudi Arabia is a major purchaser of American weapons and the linchpin of a regional strategy focused on rolling back Iranian influence.
Bolton described the relationship as "incredibly important" and said Trump did not believe that ongoing investigations into the killing would affect arms sales to the kingdom.
An exact timeline of Khashoggi's death remains murky, with the Turkish state largely managing the release of information. Presidential advisers say they have received orders not to speak to reporters. Some details have been strategically leaked to the media; others remain closely held secrets.
Turkish officials with knowledge of the recording's contents say that Khashoggi was choked upon arrival at the Saudi Consulate. They said his death took about seven minutes and that his body was dismembered shortly afterward. No traces have been found.
A Section on 11/14/2018