The United States President, Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed renewed questions about the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the issue was only raised to embarrass Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during their meeting.
In the Oval Office, Trump described Khashoggi as extremely controversial, adding that a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman.
He suggested that things happen, whether or not people liked Khashoggi, and insisted the murder should not have been brought up in front of the visiting crown prince.
Trump also defended Prince Mohammed, despite a CIA assessment that he likely ordered the killing.
“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.
Asked separately about the murder, Prince Mohammed called Khashoggi’s death painful and a huge mistake.
He said it was difficult to see anyone losing his life for no real purpose or not in a legal way, adding that the incident was painful for the Saudi people as well.
The crown prince said Saudi Arabia had taken all the right steps in its investigation and was working to make sure such an incident never happens again.
Tuesday marked Prince Mohammed’s first visit to Washington since 2018.
Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey later that year.
A 2021 U.S. intelligence report concluded the crown prince approved the operation, arguing that he maintained tight control over major decisions in the kingdom and had previously supported efforts to silence dissidents abroad.