[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] They promised accountability.
[Reporter:] Including a member of the royal family?
[Pompeo:] They made no exceptions to who they would hold accountable.
[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] The Saudis promising a full investigation, the secretary of state now meeting with Turkish officials about a missing journalist. The president says this is another case of guilty until proven innocent.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Nothing says leadership like a series of Twitter attacks against women. The president not backing down after calling stormy Daniels, quote, horse face.
[Briggs:] Epic flooding in Texas forces evacuations. A bridge washed away. One body already recovered.
[Romans:] All right. How does $868 million sound to you? That's the next Mega Millions jackpot with no winner in last night's drawing. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] I'm Dave Briggs. Big news, Christine Romans is actually going to play the lottery, I'm told, for the first time. It's October 17th, 5:00 a.m. in the East. We start in Turkey. The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo there this morning. He just met with Turkey's president and is sitting down with the foreign minister to discuss "The Washington Post" journalist presumed killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Yesterday, Secretary Pompeo met with Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince. Overnight, Pompeo told reporters the Saudis promised to figure out what happened to Jamal Khashoggi.
[Pompeo:] They told me they were going to conduct a thorough, complete, and transparent investigation. They made a commitment to hold anyone connected to any wrongdoing that may be found accountable for that, whether they are a senior officer or official. They promised accountability.
[Reporter:] Including a member of the royal family?
[Pompeo:] They made no exceptions to who they would hold accountable.
[Romans:] Three sources tell CNN that a Saudi team sent to interrogate and possibly abduct Khashoggi from his Istanbul was organized by a high-ranking officer in the main Saudi intelligence service. International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live this morning. He is outside the Saudi consulate where two weeks and one day ago, Khashoggi disappeared. What's the latest, Nic?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Well, Christine, according to several sources, this high-ranking intelligence official was the one that put together what Turkish officials are calling the hit team that came to abduct or kill Jamal Khashoggi. What the sources depict is Khashoggi being injected with tranquilizers with the intention of renditioning him. Another source says perhaps it wasn't known by the crown prince, but what is very apparent to Turkish officials is that this doesn't pass the sniff test. And to many international observers, as well, that Mohammed bin Salman is a one-man rule of Saudi Arabia. And his close officials around him, intelligence officials included, would not mount such a complex information without his knowledge. What Turkish officials are seeing is, in essence, obstruction for their investigation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it's of the utmost importance that Saudi Arabia has this thorough transparent, speedy investigation, also that they be given time to complete the investigation. What Turkish officials are seeing when investigators went the night before last night into the consulate, they found it had been painted over on the inside, and this was after we'd seen a cleaning team go in a couple of hours life. When they went to the consul general's house close to here, he had fled the country just a couple of hours before. They wanted to search the premises, search his vehicles. They weren't able to do that. We anticipate they'll try again today. So, what Turkish officials are seeing is not compliance and transparency and help with an investigation but, in fact, the complete opposite, obstruction Christine.
[Romans:] The president talking about here we go again, guilty until proven innocent. But, Nic, the Turks are leaking a mountain of evidence in this case. Tell us about the new information we have.
[Robertson:] They have. One o the pieces of new information is that a senior Turkish official told CNN that Jamal Khashoggi was dismembered inside the consulate. Very graphic, very horrible. They release d overnight seven passport photographs and passport details, scans of passports they say were part of the Saudi hit squad coming into turkey in the hours before Jamal Khashoggi disappeared. They tracked these people going into the consulate. And also one of the people identified last week, Abdul-Aziz Mutreb, has been identified by CNN as being the former first secretary of the Saudi embassy in London. And also, while there, the second intelligence liaison. And he's been identified in several photographs. Very, very close to Mohammed bin Salman. Indeed our source says that Mutreb was seconded as part of a new brigade, seconded to provide personal security around him. So, what the Turkish officials here are leaking because they are not getting the cooperation from Saudi Arabia is the information that they want to expose to, if you will, force Saudi Arabia's hand to come clean on this. They essentially are saying the longer they leave it, the Saudis, any narrative, explanation, holds less and less water. Doesn't pass the sniff test Christine.
[Romans:] All right, Nic Robertson. Certainly disturbing, disturbing details there. Thank you.
[Briggs:] To say the least, right? A senior adviser telling CNN Mr. Trump's handling of the crisis with Saudi Arabia, quote, may be the most consequential decision of his presidency. The president once again defending the Saudi regime tweeting, they totally denied any knowledge, then offered this talking point you see here, answers will be forthcoming shortly. Here's what he told Fox Business last night.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] It depends whether or not the king or the crown prince knew about it in my opinion, number one, what happened, but whether or not they knew about it. If they knew about it, that would be bad. If they didn't know it, things bad things can happen.
[Romans:] Key Republican leaders are demanding answers from the Saudis, particularly about the role of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or MBS.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham , South Carolina:] I've been their biggest defender on the floor of the United States Senate. This guy is a wrecking ball. He had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey. There's a difference between a country and an individual. The MBS figure is, to me, toxic. He can never be a world leader on the world stage.
[Sen. Marco Rubio , Florida:] This is going to alter the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia for the foreseeable future. What those specific measures are obviously is going to be up for debate, but they'll be strong and they'll be meaningful. Congress will act.
[Romans:] Attorney General Jeff Sessions is leaving the door open to possible U.S. involvement in the Khashoggi investigation. Meantime, Joint Chiefs Chairman Joseph Dunford says, quote, it's premature to speculate on the effect this will have on the U.S.-Saudi military relationship.
[Briggs:] President Trump joining in a lowdown schoolyard name-calling contest that started during executive time Tuesday morning. First, POTUS unleashed a tirade against Senator Elizabeth Warren, then he turned the Twitter taunts to Stormy Daniels whose defamation suit against the president has just been dismissed. He tweeted now I can go after horse face and her third-rate lawyer. She knows nothing about me, a total con. That "total con" phrase is what triggered the lawsuit. The adult film star tweeted back ladies and gentlemen, may I present your president, in addition to his shortcomings, he has demonstrated his incompetence, look of self- control on twitter again. And perhaps a penchant for bestiality. Game on, tiny. Asked if it was inappropriate to insult a woman's appearance, the president told the "A.P.", quote, you can take it any way you want. According to an official, the president told people he was aggravated by the coverage of the Saudi Arabia crisis. Asked whether Mr. Trump was trying to alter the news cycle, the official said, he's good at doing that.
[Romans:] A fiery Senate debate in Texas last night as Democrat Beto O'Rourke tries to translate his titanic fund-raising, $38 million in the last quarter alone, into votes. O'Rourke and Republican Senator Ted Cruz sparring on key topics, including border security, tariffs, climate change, and regulating social media to combat foreign election interference.
[Briggs:] The wrangling showcased a major shift in tone for O'Rourke. So far he's mostly bypassed opportunities to take direct aim at Cruz.
[Rep. Beto O'rourke , Texas Senate Candidate:] Senator Cruz is not going to be honest with you. He's going to make up positions and votes that I've never held or have ever taken. He's dishonest. That's why the president called him "Lyin'Ted" and it's why the nickname stuck because it's true.
[Sen. Ted Cruz , Texas Senate Candidate:] It's clear Congressman O'Rourke's pollsters have told him to come out on the attack. So, if he wants to insult me and call me a lair, that's fine. But, you know, John Adams famously said, "Facts are stubborn things."
[Briggs:] A new CNN shows Cruz with a solid seven-point lead over O'Rourke, less than three weeks to go. This programming note: our Dana Bash moderates a Texas Senate town hall with O'Rourke tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN. We should note, Senator Cruz declined to participate. North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp personally apologizing after an ad for her re-election campaign listed several women as survivors of abuse without their consent. The ad was an open letter slamming Heitkamp's Republican opponent, Congressman Kevin Cramer, for saying tough people do not identify with the #metoo movement. Among of the 120 signers of the letter are several women who have come forward saying they were included without permission or that they were not survivors of sexual or domestic abuse. One group of women say they're looking for a lawyer to take their case because the ad, quote, ruined their lives. Heitkamp says there will be consequences for whoever provided the unauthorized names. No winner in last night's mega millions drawing, bringing Friday's jackpot to a mind-boggling $868 million. If you were to take a lump sum, you would walk away with shy of half a billion bucks. The winning or rather non-winning numbers were 3-45-49-61-69, and the mega ball was 9. Tonight, though, another big drawing, Powerball, an estimated $345 million.
[Romans:] That's a lot of money. You can buy companies with that. All right. The Dow bouncing, the best day since March. So, why is the president still targeting his Fed chief?