US senator blasts Trump over Khashoggi case

A prominent U.S. senator has blasted U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to the disappearance of a Saudi journalist, suggesting he may be thinking more about his wallet than solving the case.

"The Saudis bailed out Donald Trump’s failed businesses for years. How much money did he take?” Senator Elizabeth Warren, a likely Democratic Party challenger to Trump seeking a second term, said on Twitter late Tuesday.

“What's the going rate to get the President to act as a mouthpiece for a Saudi king? Trump should release his tax returns so we can find out," she added.

Trump has suggested that “rogue killers” may be responsible for the presumed death of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist who went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

On the same day Khashoggi disappeared, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the building while was also inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.

A joint Turkish-Saudi team has been investigating the disappearance, including through a search of the consulate with Saudi permission.