Trump Downplays Khashoggi Killing While Defending Saudi Crown Prince

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump provoked strong backlash after dismissing the gravity of the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi while hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office.

Asked about CIA findings that the crown prince approved the operation that led to Khashoggi’s killing and dismemberment inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Trump minimized the crime, calling the victim “extremely controversial” and adding, “things happen.”

Human rights groups condemned the remarks as an attempt to justify the killing and imply that Khashoggi somehow deserved his fate.

Trump further claimed that the crown prince “knew nothing about it,” contradicting Mohammed bin Salman’s own 2019 admission that he takes responsibility as the kingdom’s leader since Saudi government operatives carried out the murder.

Khashoggi, a veteran Saudi commentator and Washington Post columnist, was regarded as a prominent advocate of reform and free expression.

Rights groups said Trump’s remarks sought to blur accountability for a killing that US intelligence has assessed could not have occurred without high-level authorization, warning that such rhetoric normalizes impunity.

While the crown prince repeated his past characterization of the murder as “heinous” and a “huge mistake,” Trump dismissed questions about conflicts of interest tied to his family’s business dealings in Saudi Arabia. Critics said the administration’s posture — overlooking Riyadh’s extensive record of domestic repression while maintaining close economic and military ties — tells a different story.