Donald Trump says he is ‘very angry’ over murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi but again defends Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
- Despite UN evidence pointing finger of blame for murder at Saudi royal, Trump called it a ‘great honour’ to meet with him
President Donald Trump on Saturday professed to be “very angry” over the murder last year of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate, but the president again declined to pin responsibility on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he called “my friend”.
Trump said nothing about Khashoggi at a photo op with Salman before their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, ignoring shouted questions about the matter from reporters. In brief remarks, Trump called it a “great honour” to be with the crown prince and noted that “Saudi Arabia is a good purchaser of American products”. Salman returned the compliment.
But asked at a news conference later in the day whether he raised the issue with Salman privately, Trump said Riyadh has prosecuted “13 people” in connection with Khashoggi’s death and suggested more prosecutions were coming.
Still, Trump again defended Salman, saying there was no “finger directly” pointing at him, despite a UN report that concluded there was, in fact, credible evidence tying the plot to the royal family. Khashoggi was living in self-imposed exile after writing columns that criticised the Salman family; he was abducted and dismembered after visiting the consulate in October 2018 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.
Trump and other senior administration officials have consistently minimised the assassination, suggesting that it would be unwise for the United States to punish Riyadh or cut off relations with Mohammed over the killing because Saudi Arabia is an important partner to the United States in the Middle East.