Trump says Saudi leader knew nothing of journalist murder, rejecting CIA assessment

The U.S. President says Jamal Khashoggi was an ‘extremely controversial’ figure

- Alexander Ward, Michael R. Gordon & Brian Schwartz

Trump didn't say how many F-35s Saudis want to buy, but said the kingdom should get "top of the line" versions.

(AP)

President Trump said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “knew nothing about” the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, though the CIA at the time assessed that the royal orchestrated the killing.

“You're mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial, A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen,” Trump said Tuesday about Khashoggi after a reporter asked MBS, as the crown prince is known, about the murder. Turning to his counterpart, Trump said: “But he knew nothing about it.”

The crown prince, who returned to the Oval Office for the first time since the killing, replied that, “It’s really painful to hear anyone losing his life for no real purpose or not in a legal way,” insisting his country had conducted an investigation to ensure nothing like the assassination happens again. “It’s a big mistake.”

Khashoggi was a Saudi dissident and U.S. resident who repeatedly spoke out about the kingdom's repressive regime. His grisly murder in a Saudi consulate in Turkey led to intense blowback in Washington, with members of both parties calling for severed ties between the U.S. and the kingdom.

“What he is done is incredible in terms of human rights,” Trump said, later calling the prince, “one of the most respected leaders in the world.” MBS responded that his country would look to invest $1 trillion in the U.S. economy, adding that opportunities “are increasing more and more.”

A CIA assessment of the murder in 2018 found that MBS had orchestrated the killing of the writer. Those involved “should be held responsible,” Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, where Khashoggi lived, said Tuesday.