“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has cast himself as a tough, straight-talking former Army tank commander with the moral clarity necessary to confront the world’s bad guys. But on his quick trip to Saudi Arabia, where he sat smiling with royal leaders suspected of involvement in the disappearance of a dissident Saudi journalist, he hardly seemed the image of principled diplomacy,” the New York Times reports.

“As he was leaving Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on Wednesday, Mr. Pompeo was asked if Saudi officials had told him whether the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was alive or dead.”

Said Pompeo: “I don’t want to talk about any of the facts. They didn’t want to either.”

Politico: “Pompeo’s performance can be chalked up to any number of factors, including the inevitable trade-offs most U.S. administrations find they must make in dealing with unsavory allies who happen to be key to American interests. But it was also an example of Pompeo — a former Army tank commander who loves tough talk — toeing the Trump line, even if it risks tarnishing his image.”

New York Times: “His killers were waiting when Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. They severed his fingers during an interrogation and later beheaded and dismembered him, according to details from audio recordings published in the Turkish news media on Wednesday.”

“It was all over within a few minutes, the recordings suggested.”

Key takeaway: “Such information would not have been disclosed in Turkey without the consent of the government. Turkish media outlets and newspapers are closely controlled: They are either government-controlled or owned by pro-government business executives.”

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is starting to float a trial-balloon explanation for its apparent slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Daily Beast has learned, in hopes of escaping the consequences of an episode that has shaken whatever geopolitical confidence existed in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

“According to two sources familiar with the version of events circulating throughout diplomatic circles in Washington, the Saudis will place blame for Khashoggi’s murder on a Saudi two-star general new to intelligence work.”

“One of the suspects identified by Turkey in the disappearance of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi was a frequent companion of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — seen disembarking from airplanes with him in Paris and Madrid and photographed standing guard during his visits this year to Houston, Boston and the United Nations,” the New York Times reports.

“Three others are linked by witnesses and other records to the Saudi crown prince’s security detail.”

Meanwhile, President Trump told the Associated Press that there has been a rush to judgement: “I think we have to find out what happened first. Here we go again with, you know, you’re guilty until proven innocent. I don’t like that.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) told CNN that the United States will lose its credibility on human rights if it does not take action against Saudi Arabia after the apparent death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Said Rubio: “Well, I can tell you that human rights is worth blowing that up and luring someone into a consulate where they’re there by murdered, dismembered and disposed of is a big deal. By the way, this happens to be a green card holder of the United States and — who had been a journalist, but he could have been, you know, a maintenance worker at The Washington Post, it wouldn’t have mattered. It’s a human being whose life was taken by a direct act of a foreign government by luring him into a diplomatic facility in a third country. I mean any one of those factors is bad. Put them all together and it’s catastrophic.”

He added: “And as far as arms sales are concerned, it’s not the money.”

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of ordering the murder and called him a “wrecking ball” who is jeopardizing relations with the United States.

“The Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s death was the result of an interrogation that went wrong, one that was intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey,” CNN reports.

“One source says the report will likely conclude that the operation was carried out without clearance and transparency and that those involved will be held responsible.”

President Trump said that he spoke with the king of Saudi Arabia and that the ruler denied any knowledge of the disappearance of a Saudi dissident journalist, the New York Times reports.

After the call, Mr. Trump said it was possible that “rogue killers” were behind the disappearance of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

President Trump told 60 Minutes that the Saudis could be behind the disappearance of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi and, if so, the U.S. would inflict “severe punishment.”

He also said the matter is especially serious because, “this man was a reporter.”

He added: “There’s something– you’ll be surprised to hear me say that, there’s something really terrible and disgusting about that if that was the case.”