Mattis faces criticism after comments in Khashoggi

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, who has enjoyed a level of bipartisan support rarely seen in Washington, is facing mounting public criticism amid the fallout from the slaying of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The fresh scrutiny of Mattis, often portrayed at home and abroad as a trusted steward of US values during the turbulent times of President Donald Trump, comes on the heels of his implementation of a controversial military order to place troops on the US-Mexico border, a move critics slammed as a political stunt.

The most vocal attack on the former Marine general came from a member of Trump's own Republican party this week, when Senator Lindsey Graham blasted the Pentagon chief and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for refusing to directly link Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi's murder at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate in October.

Mattis has repeatedly condemned the killing and called for those responsible to be held to account, but insisted he had seen "no smoking gun" connecting Prince Mohammed to the Khashoggi murder.

"You have to be wilfully blind" not to conclude the murder was orchestrated by people under Prince Mohammed's command, Graham said, following a briefing to several senators by CIA Director Gina Haspel.

"There's not a smoking gun, but a smoking saw," Graham added, referring to the reported grisly detail that an autopsy specialist dismembered Khashoggi's body with a bone saw.

Graham is a firebrand in US politics, and his bouts of indignation should be viewed through the prism of his own ambition. Initially a fierce Trump opponent, he converted to a staunch ally, and Washington observers say he is angling for a top posting in the administration.

Still, Graham was not alone in his upbraiding. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said Mattis and Pompeo have tried to "push aside" the question of
And Republican Bob Corker, who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, came to a similar conclusion, saying a jury would convict the crown prince "in less than 30 minutes."
"We are continuing to review. I am quite satisfied we will find more evidence of what happened. I just don't know what it is going to be or who will be implicated, but we will follow it as far as we can."
Kelly Magsamen, a senior security official for both Republican and Democratic presidents, termed the deployment "a craven political stunt by President Trump ahead of the US midterm elections."