Trump Defends bin Salman Over CIA Findings in Khashoggi Case

Donald Trump, the 47th American president, has faced intense criticism for downplaying the 2018 murder of globally known and outspoken Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi while hosting Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of the Kingdom in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

Donald Trump candidly on Tuesday defended the king when asked about Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) findings indicating the latter approved the operations that resulted in journalist Khashoggi’s death and dismemberment inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul that year.

“You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman… things happen,” Trump stated in remarks condemned by human rights activists for attempting to justify the wrongdoing and present it as justified retribution.

In addition, the US president, apparently pointing to bin Salman, added, “But he knew nothing about it.”

However, the words overshadowed the crown prince’s own confession in 2019, when he claimed, “I take full responsibility as leader in Saudi Arabia, particularly since it was committed by an individual working for the Saudi government.

A Washington Post journalist and experienced Saudi commentator, Jamal Khashoggi, was globally recognized by rights groups as a major voice for reform and free expression in the Arab world.

Legal experts claimed Trump’s statements were an attempt to obscure blame for a death that the CIA determined could not have occurred without high-level authority. In addition, it warned that the words risked normalizing impunity.

The crown prince reiterated previous descriptions of the assassination as “heinous” and a “huge mistake,” claiming that Riyadh had tightened its internal processes to prevent similar tragedies.

Furthermore, the US head, on the other hand, dismissed concerns regarding the possible conflicts of interest coming from his family’s business ties to Saudi Arabia, adding he “left that success behind” when he entered office.