President Donald Trump insisted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “knew nothing” about the killing of Washington Post opinion writer Jamal Khashoggi, despite U.S. intelligence agencies concluding otherwise.
The CIA assessment released in 2021 found that Saudi agents in Istanbul acted on bin Salman’s order when they killed and dismembered Khashoggi in 2018, who had written critically of the Saudi royal family.
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Asked about those findings in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump downplayed the journalist’s killing, saying “things happen” and claiming bin Salman “knew nothing about it.”
The comments came as the Crown Prince began an elaborate two-day visit organized by Trump to showcase Saudi Arabia’s importance to the U.S., during which the President hopes to announce hundreds of billions of dollars in Saudi investments. It is bin Salman’s first visit to the U.S capital since Khashoggi’s killing seven years ago.
Trump berated the ABC News reporter who raised the question, calling it an embarrassment for his guest. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or don’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it,” Trump said while sitting next to Saudi Arabia’s de-factor leader. “We can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that.”
The Crown Prince, however, chose to respond. Without mentioning Khashoggi by name, bin Salman said, “it’s painful and it’s a huge mistake—and we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
Bin Salman was also asked about anger from families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks who objected to his visit. Many of those families have long accused the Saudi government of supporting extremists linked to the hijackers, most of whom were Saudi nationals. The Crown Prince said he undertood the pain felt by the families, but that “we have to focus on reality.” He said Osama bin Laden launched the attacks to destroy the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S., and that “strong relations” between the two countries were vital to countering extremism and terrorism.
The Crown Prince came to Washington seeking partnerships in artificial intelligence and technology as part of his effort to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy away from its reliance on oil. Trump, for his part, went to great lengths to stage an extravagant welcome. When the Crown Prince arrived at the South Portico of the White House—a grander entrance than the driveway of the West Wing where heads of state typically arrive—Trump ordered six F-15 fighter jets to fly overhead as a Marine brass band played from the balcony.
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