US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) knew nothing about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabian agents, offering a fierce defense of the visiting prince that contradicted a US intelligence assessment.
The controversy over the killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and US-based critic of the Saudi Arabian leadership, flared again in the Oval Office in front of cameras as the kingdom’s de facto ruler made his first White House visit in more than seven years, seeking to further rehabilitate his global image tarnished by the incident.
Trump later announced that he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, and the two sides announced agreements on arms sales, civil nuclear cooperation, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.
Photo: Reuters
US intelligence agencies concluded that MBS approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. The crown prince denied ordering the operation, but acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about, whether you like him or didn’t like him,” Trump told reporters, with MBS sitting beside him. “Things happened, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that.”
Bin Salman said it had been “painful” to hear about Khashoggi’s death, but that his government “did all the right steps of investigation.”
“We’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that, and it’s painful and it’s a huge mistake,” he told reporters.
Trump denounced ABC News’ Mary Bruce as a “terrible reporter” and threatened the network’s license to broadcast after she asked whether it was appropriate for Trump’s family to be doing business in Saudi Arabia while he was president.
Before he could answer, she directed a question to MBS: “Your Royal Highness, the US intelligence concluded that you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist; 9/11 families are furious that you are here in the Oval Office. Why should Americans trust you? And the same to you, Mr President.”
After asking Bruce who she worked for, Trump called ABC “fake news,” adding that the Federal Communications Commission should look into suspending the network’s license.
Trump’s treatment of bin Salman prompted a rebuke from Khashoggi’s widow.
“Nothing [can] justify just a horrible crime ... because he’s controversial or he’s unliked by someone,” Hanan Elatr Khashoggi said, adding that she wished Trump would meet with her so she could introduce him to the “real Jamal.”
During a formal black-tie dinner at the White House later on Tuesday, which was also attended by Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and billionaire Elon Musk, Trump said he was “taking our military cooperation to even greater heights” by designating Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally, a status that provides a US partner with military and economic privileges, but does not entail security commitments.
US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June had made Saudi Arabia safer, Trump added.
A White House fact sheet said the two sides signed a Strategic Defense Agreement, which “fortifies deterrence across the Middle East,” makes it easier for US defense firms to operate in the country and secures “new burden-sharing funds from Saudi Arabia to defray US costs.”
Additional reporting by AP and AFP
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