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Washington: President Donald Trump played down the murder of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi as he rolled out the red carpet for Saudi Arabian leader Mohammed bin Salman, saying “things happen” and admonishing reporters for embarrassing the Saudi prince.
The prime minister and crown prince is making his first visit to Washington since 2018 – months before the assassination – amid great fanfare from the White House, which lavished the kingdom’s de facto ruler with a welcoming ceremony, red carpet entrance and later tonight a formal dinner.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was welcomed to the White House with a lavish red carpet ceremony.Credit: AP
Khashoggi’s fate remains a hot-button issue in the US, which is where he was based at the time of his murder inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey. He wrote for The Washington Post and Middle East Eye, and criticised the crown prince.
The Central Intelligence Agency concluded Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s murder. Saudi Arabia initially denied the killing, then claimed there was a spontaneous fistfight, and later blamed it on rogue operators.
As the two leaders met in the Oval Office on Wednesday (AEDT), Trump scolded a journalist from ABC News America for asking about Khashoggi’s killing, then played it down and disputed the CIA assessment.
“You’re mentioning somebody [Khashoggi] that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,” Trump said.
“Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen. But he [Mohammed bin Salman] knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking question like that.”
“Things happen”: Trump played down the murder and disputed the CIA assessment that Crown Prince Mohammed was responsible.Credit: AP
Mohammed said the incident was a “huge mistake” and had been painful for Saudi Arabia, but defended his country’s record.
“We did all the right steps of investigation in Saudi Arabia, and we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happen like that [sic],” he said.
“It’s painful and it’s a huge mistake and we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
Separately, Trump has also been under fire for telling a female journalist “quiet, piggy” as she questioned him about the Epstein files. The incident took place on board Air Force One while en route to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort late last week.
The reporter was trying to ask a follow-up question about the Epstein files when Trump pointed a finger at her and said: “Quiet, quiet piggy.”
More to come
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