WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump, seated beside the man the CIA found had ordered the murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, on Tuesday suggested that maybe the Washington Post journalist had brought his fate upon himself.
“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 happened,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office and then chastised the reporter who asked the question for disrespecting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to his face.
“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.
For his part, bin Salman claimed he had nothing to do with the assassination of the prominent critic of his regime at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2, 2018.
“It’s really painful to hear, you know, anyone that been losing his life for, uh, you know, no real purpose or nothing illegal, uh, and it’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia. We did all the right steps of, uh, investigation, et cetera, in Saudi Arabia,” bin Salman said. “And we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that, and it’s painful, and it’s a huge mistake, and we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
The CIA, under Trump’s control, concluded just six weeks after the murder that the killers acted at bin Salman’s direction, killing Khashoggi and then cutting up his body with a bone saw to remove it from the consulate without attracting attention. And years later, Saudi authorities have not prosecuted any senior figures in the plot and continue to jail and execute regime critics.
Trump ignored that assessment as he bathed bin Salman in praise as part of a red-carpet welcome for him that includes a state-visit-like formal dinner, even though bin Salman is not yet the head of state.
“I’m very proud of the job he’s done,” Trump said. “What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else, and he’s the crown prince, the future king.”
Trump’s personal business is simultaneously making major agreements with Saudi Arabia that could enrich Trump personally by millions. Trump, though, claimed that he has nothing to do with it and that it is entirely run by his children.
“I have nothing to do with the family business I have,” he said. “What my family does is fine.”
Trump said the same thing during his first term. Those statements were proven false in testimony that emerged during his civil and criminal trials in recent years.
In addition to a lavish welcome, Saudi Arabia will also be permitted to buy F-35 fighter jets, among the most advanced stealth warplanes the United States makes, even though Defense Department officials worry that doing so may make it easier for China to get its hands on that technology.
