US Treasury Secretary to skip Saudi investment conference amid Khashoggi case

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he has pulled out of next week’s Saudi investment summit, in another major reversal for Riyadh following the suspected murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia,” Mnuchin announces on Twitter after meeting with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.

— Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) October 18, 2018

Pompeo just returned from Saudi Arabia and briefed Trump on the status of the investigation into the journalist’s disappearance in Turkey.

Mnuchin’s announcement sends stocks tumbling on Wall Street.

— AFP