Trump defends Saudi Crown Prince over Khashoggi killing

New Delhi, Nov 19: US President Donald Trump defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the White House, saying the crown prince “knew nothing” about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump’s remarks appear to go against a 2021 US intelligence report, which concluded that the crown prince had approved the operation that led to Khashoggi’s death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

This was Mohammed bin Salman’s first visit to the US since the assassination, which had strained US-Saudi relations. During a question from a journalist in the Oval Office, Trump responded sharply, saying: “You’re mentioning someone extremely controversial… But he knew nothing about it. You don’t have to embarrass our guests.” The Saudi crown prince said that his country took “all the right steps” to investigate Khashoggi’s death, describing it as “painful” and a “huge mistake”. He denied any personal role in the incident. However, the US intelligence report released under President Joe Biden’s administration concluded that the crown prince had approved a plan to “capture or kill” Khashoggi. During Trump’s first term, the report was not made public, and although some Saudi officials were sanctioned, none of the measures directly targeted Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi’s widow reacts

Jamal Khashoggi’s widow, Hanan, criticised Trump’s remarks. Speaking to BBC Newsnight, she said the US president’s comments did not match with the crown prince’s own admission of responsibility in a 2019 TV interview. She has also called for a meeting with the crown prince, seeking an apology and compensation. She currently lives in the Washington DC area under political asylum.

Talks on Trade, Technology and Defence

The meeting between Trump and the crown prince aimed to boost cooperation in several areas, including: civilian nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, and increased Saudi investment in the US, ising from $600 billion to $1 trillion.

The two leaders also discussed a possible deal to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia through US defence company Lockheed Martin. Some officials in Israel have raised concerns that this could affect Israel’s military edge in the region. Trump said both Saudi Arabia and Israel are “great allies” and should have top-of-the-line equipment.