Shock in the Oval Office! Trump Defends Saudi Crown Prince: “Things Happen”
While welcoming the de facto ruler of the country to the White House, US President Donald Trump claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “knew nothing” about the 2018 murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi.Trump’s remarks seemed to be at odds with a 2021 US intelligence assessment that found the crown prince had given his approval to the operation that killed Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Saudi Arabia “did all the right things” to look into Khashoggi’s killing, which he described as “painful,” according to the crown prince, who has denied any complicity.He was visiting the US for the first time since the killing, which rocked the US-Saudi alliance. On Tuesday, Trump responded to a reporter who inquired about the murder in the Oval Office. “You’re mentioning someone that was extremely controversial,” the president of the United States said. “That person you’re referring about wasn’t liked by many people. Things happen whether you like him or not. “But he [the Crown Prince] knew nothing about it,” Trump said. “You don’t have to embarrass our guests.”Saudi Arabia “did all the right steps” to look into the murder, which the crown prince described as “painful” and a “huge mistake.” The crown prince had authorized a plot to “capture or kill” Khashoggi in Istanbul, according to a 2021 US intelligence assessment released under President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump White House officials refused to make the report public during his first term in office. None specifically targeted the crown prince, but scores of Saudi officials were sanctioned after the killing.
