Senate Blocks Passage of Kaine’s Legislation to Demand Accountability for Saudi-Sponsored Murder of Virginia Resident Jamal Khashoggi

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor to ask unanimous consent for passage of his resolution to commemorate the seventh anniversary of journalist and Northern Virginia resident Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, which was directed by Saudi government officials. The legislation’s passage was blocked by an objecting senator. Kaine’s push came the day after President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in the White House and defended the Crown Prince when asked about Khashoggi’s murder.

“Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered by the Saudi government because he dedicated his life to uncovering the truth and shed light on the repressive nature of the Saudi regime,” said Kaine. “The passage of my resolution honoring Mr. Khashoggi and calling for accountability for his murder should be a no-brainer. It is particularly outrageous that any senator would object to this simple resolution while saying nothing about President Trump rolling out the red carpet for MBS and leveraging the presidency for private business deals that benefit his family.”

Full video of Kaine asking the Senate to unanimously pass his legislation honoring Khashoggi is available here.

Kaine has been repeatedly outspoken against the Saudi-sponsored murder of Khashoggi and has demanded accountability since 2018. In 2019, following a recommendation made by the United Nations, Kaine called on the FBI to open an investigation into the murder of Khashoggi after months of continued inaction by President Trump in his first term. In 2022, Kaine criticized the U.S. State Department’s decision to support MBS’ claim of sovereign immunity in a lawsuit brought by Khashoggi’s friends and family following the murder.

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