Trump says MBS "knew nothing" about journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killing despite 2021 U.S. intel report’s findings
Washington – In a move that underscored the complex and often controversial nature of U.S.-Saudi relations, President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, "knew nothing" about the brutal 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This assertion, made during a high-stakes Oval Office meeting, directly contradicted a 2021 U.S. intelligence report which explicitly concluded that bin Salman had approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi. The president’s remarks ignited immediate criticism from human rights advocates and lawmakers, reigniting the debate over accountability for a killing that sent shockwaves across the globe and severely strained Riyadh’s international standing.
The extraordinary statement came as MBS made his first visit to the White House since the gruesome incident, a visit designed to signal a normalization of ties under the Trump administration despite lingering questions surrounding Khashoggi’s death. When pressed by a journalist about his continued business dealings with bin Salman, particularly in light of the intelligence report, Mr. Trump defended the Crown Prince vehemently. "You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial," Mr. Trump said of Khashoggi, referring to the slain journalist. "A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about, whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that." The dismissive tone regarding Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi regime and a columnist for The Washington Post, further fueled outrage, with many interpreting it as an attempt to diminish the severity of the crime and the victim’s journalistic integrity.
Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident residing in the U.S., entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. He was never seen alive again. Turkish officials quickly alleged that Khashoggi had been murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by a Saudi hit squad, an operation widely believed to have been sanctioned at the highest levels of the Saudi government. Initially, Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of Khashoggi’s fate, claiming he had left the consulate alive. However, under intense international pressure and mounting evidence, Riyadh eventually conceded that Khashoggi had been killed in a "rogue operation," a narrative that few outside Saudi Arabia found credible. The specifics of the killing – including audio recordings reportedly obtained by Turkish intelligence – painted a chilling picture of premeditation and extreme brutality, leading to global condemnation and demands for justice.
The subsequent 2021 U.S. intelligence report, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), served as a pivotal moment in the U.S. government’s official stance on the murder. It unequivocally stated, "We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi." The report detailed MBS’s absolute control over the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it "highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince’s authorization." This finding, though not leading to direct U.S. sanctions against MBS himself, solidified the international community’s suspicion of his direct involvement and presented a significant diplomatic challenge for Washington.
Sitting stoically beside Mr. Trump during the Oval Office exchange, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered his own carefully worded response to the journalist’s query. "About the journalist, it’s really painful to hear that anyone losing his life for no real purpose," bin Salman stated, maintaining a posture of regret without admitting direct culpability. He added, "We did all the right steps in terms of investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia and we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that." The Crown Prince concluded by calling the event "painful and it’s a huge mistake, and we are doing our best that will never happen again." These statements echoed his previous comments, including a 2019 "60 Minutes" interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, where he denied ordering the murder but acknowledged, "I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government." This distinction between leadership responsibility and direct command has been a consistent aspect of his defense, aiming to deflect accusations of personal authorization while acknowledging the systemic failures within his government.
Following Mr. Trump’s staunch defense of MBS, Hanan Khashoggi, Jamal Khashoggi’s widow, quickly responded with a poignant message on social media. Addressing the president directly, she wrote, "There is no justification to murder my husband." Her message continued, "While Jamal was a good transparent and brave man many people may not have agreed with his opinions and desire for freedom of the press." Her words served as a powerful reminder of the human cost of the killing and the fundamental principles of press freedom and human rights that Jamal Khashoggi championed. Her ongoing advocacy has kept the issue of justice for Khashoggi alive, challenging attempts to move past the incident without full accountability.
Beyond the immediate controversy of Khashoggi’s murder, the visit underscored the intricate web of economic and strategic interests binding the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Trump, while denying any personal involvement, acknowledged business dealings between his family and Saudi Arabia, though he insisted "they’ve done very little with Saudi Arabia, actually." The economic dimension of the relationship was highlighted by the joint announcement that Saudi Arabia would significantly increase its investments in the U.S., from an existing $600 billion to nearly $1 trillion. This massive financial commitment, spanning various sectors, is a testament to the deep economic interdependence between the two nations, providing a powerful incentive for political leaders to maintain cordial relations, even in the face of significant human rights concerns. The strategic importance of Saudi Arabia as a major oil producer, a regional counterweight to Iran, and a partner in counter-terrorism efforts has long complicated U.S. foreign policy, often pitting economic and security imperatives against human rights principles.
Further complicating the narrative, President Trump lauded bin Salman as "incredible on human rights and everything else," a remark that drew sharp criticism given Saudi Arabia’s well-documented record of suppressing dissent, imprisoning activists, and its involvement in the devastating war in Yemen. This glowing endorsement starkly contrasted with reports from international human rights organizations and the U.S. State Department itself, which have consistently highlighted widespread human rights abuses within the Kingdom.
The shadows of another tragic event, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, also loomed over the discussions. Families of the 9/11 victims have long pursued a civil lawsuit alleging the Saudi kingdom sponsored, aided, and supported the al Qaeda hijackers. MBS addressed this sensitive issue, stating, "I feel painful about, you know, families of 9/11 in America, but you know, we have to focus on reality." He elaborated on the Saudi position, asserting that "reality based on CIA documents and based on a lot of documents that Osama bin Laden used Saudi people in that event for one purpose: To destroy this relation, the American-Saudi relationship." Bin Salman argued that "whoever buys that" narrative of Saudi state involvement is "helping Osama bin Laden’s purpose of destroying this relation," emphasizing that bin Laden knew the "strong" relationship between America and Saudi Arabia was "bad for extremism." This narrative aims to shift blame from the Saudi state to individual extremists, portraying the Kingdom as a victim of al Qaeda’s manipulations rather than an enabler.
The White House meeting, therefore, served as a potent symbol of the enduring complexities in the U.S.-Saudi alliance. While the Trump administration prioritized strategic and economic ties, overlooking or downplaying concerns about human rights and accountability, the legacy of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and the unresolved questions surrounding 9/11 continue to cast a long shadow. The divergent narratives from the U.S. intelligence community, the Trump administration, and the Saudi Crown Prince himself highlight the ongoing tension between geopolitical pragmatism and the universal pursuit of justice and truth in international relations.
