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Intel: Can Khashoggi case really spell the end of MBS?

MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 12:  Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on during a ceremony at Moncloa Palace on April 12, 2018 in Madrid, Spain. Bin Salman's visit to Spain is part of a tour to meet world leaders in United States and Europe. Spain plans to sign a sale of 2 billion Euros arms, that includes five naval corvettes.  (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., raised eyebrows this week when the stalwart Saudi supporter told Fox News that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “has got to go.” Now French newspaper Le Figaro is reporting that at least seven representatives of the clans that make up the royal family are meeting in “utmost discretion” to chart a course out of the diplomatic mess created by the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Gulf experts surveyed by Al-Monitor agreed that anything is possible as the opaque royal family weighs the financial and political cost of leaving in charge the brash 33-year-old Prince Mohammed, who is often referred to by his initials MBS.

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