The United States President, Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed renewed questions about the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the issue was only raised to embarrass Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during their meeting.
In the Oval Office, Trump described Khashoggi as extremely
controversial, adding that a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman.
He suggested that things happen, whether or not people liked
Khashoggi, and insisted the murder should not have been brought up in front of
the visiting crown prince.
Trump also defended Prince Mohammed, despite a CIA
assessment that he likely ordered the killing.
“He knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that. You
don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” Trump said.
Asked separately about the murder, Prince Mohammed called
Khashoggi’s death painful and a huge mistake.
He said it was difficult to see anyone losing his life for
no real purpose or not in a legal way, adding that the incident was painful for
the Saudi people as well.
The crown prince said Saudi Arabia had taken all the right
steps in its investigation and was working to make sure such an incident never
happens again.
Tuesday marked Prince Mohammed’s first visit to Washington
since 2018.
Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, was killed
inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey later that year.
A 2021 U.S. intelligence report concluded the crown prince
approved the operation, arguing that he maintained tight control over major
decisions in the kingdom and had previously supported efforts to silence
dissidents abroad.
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