CIA Director Gina Haspel will brief US Senate leaders on Tuesday on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Some lawmakers were angry Haspel did not participate in a briefing given by Trump administration officials last week to Congress on Khashoggi’s death in October at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The CIA has reportedly assessed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government.

At last week’s briefing, the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo and the defense secretary, Jim Mattis, said there was no hard evidence the crown prince was behind the killing and urged senators not to downgrade ties with Saudi Arabia over the incident.

Haspel will brief the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations, Armed Services and Appropriations committees, the source said, adding that the Senate Intelligence Committee already had been briefed by the CIA chief.

A Senate source said Senate leaders would also participate in the briefing, which is scheduled for 4.30 GMT.

Source: The Guardian