US President Donald Trump rejected his own intelligence agencies’ report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. Trump insisted the crown prince “knew nothing” about the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Trump’s comments came when an ABC News reporter asked him why Americans should trust US agencies after they concluded that the crown prince approved the 2018 assassination.
On this, Trump expressed his displeasure and said, “You are fake news… Don’t embarrass our guest… Many people did not like Khashoggi about whom you are talking… But Mohammed bin Salman did nothing. You do not need to embarrass our guest by asking such a question.”
Khagoshi was murdered in 2018
This reaction came when the Crown Prince reached the White House for the first time since the 2018 Istanbul Consulate murder. Prince Salman also described it as a “very painful incident” and said that the Saudi government is taking necessary steps to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.
Earlier, Trump had welcomed the Crown Prince to the White House. The operation targeting Khashoggi, a vocal critic of the Saudi regime, had strained US-Saudi relations. US intelligence agencies later determined that Prince Mohammed had likely directed the agents involved in the assassination.
Seven years later, Trump has endorsed the crown prince, whom he views as a key player in shaping the future of the Middle East. Despite the intelligence findings, Prince Mohammed continues to deny any involvement in Khashoggi’s death and calls the incident a tragic mistake.
What was found in the American intelligence report?
A declassified assessment released in 2021 by US intelligence agencies concluded that Mohammed bin Salman had approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi. The four-page report alleged that people close to the crown prince, including security and intelligence officials, had played a direct role in the operation that killed the Washington Post columnist (who had become one of his most frequent critics).
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Despite this record, Trump’s comments made it clear that he stands firmly with the crown prince even if it means contradicting US intelligence and downplaying one of the most shocking political assassinations in recent history.
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