Washington [US], November 20 : US President Donald Trump publicly defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when confronted by a reporter over US intelligence findings that he had orchestrated the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, describing the journalist as "somebody that was extremely controversial" and "a lot of people didn't like."
Trump dismissed the US intelligence conclusion and insisted the crown prince had no role in the murder carried out inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
"Whether you like him (Khashoggi) or didn't like him, things happen. But he (the crown prince) knew nothing about it. And we can leave it at that," Trump said, adding, "You don't have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that."
According to CNN, the remarks marked one of Trump's strongest public defences of the Saudi leader.
Trump has repeatedly leaned on the crown prince's denial since 2018, often placing more weight on Riyadh's statements than on assessments from the US intelligence community.
Shortly after Khashoggi's killing, Trump stressed the value of Saudi economic ties when asked if the incident would alter his dealings with Riyadh.
He said he would "have to see what happens," adding, "I don't like stopping massive amounts of money that's being poured into our country" from Saudi Arabia.
He also noted that Khashoggi "is not a United States citizen," while acknowledging "we don't like" the killing "even a little bit."
Later that same day, Trump told CBS that Saudi leaders "deny it vehemently," saying the US would be "very upset and angry if that were the case," but again cautioned against jeopardising defence purchases.
CNN reported that Trump continued amplifying Saudi denials.
On October 16, 2018, he tweeted, "Just spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate," adding that an internal investigation was underway and that "answers will be forthcoming shortly."
Weeks later, Trump questioned whether anyone could ever determine the crown prince's role.
"I don't know -- you know, who can really know," he told Fox News, though he noted that some people "close" to the crown prince "were probably involved."
The following day, after multiple media outlets reported that CIA assessments linked the crown prince directly to the killing, Trump claimed, "As of this moment, we were told that he did not play a role."
At the same time, he highlighted Saudi Arabia as an economic and strategic partner, saying the kingdom provided "a lot of jobs" and "a lot of business."
In a written statement on November 20, 2018, Trump condemned the killing as "an unacceptable and horrible crime" but emphasised that "King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge."
He added, "Maybe he did and maybe he didn't!" and wrote that "our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
CNN noted that Trump later insisted "The CIA did not say affirmatively he did it," although US lawmakers who attended a classified briefing shortly afterward said they were convinced the crown prince had directed the operation.
In early 2019, Trump again highlighted Saudi Arabia's economic importance while calling the killing a "terrible event," saying, "I'm not making excuses for anybody. I think that was a terrible tragedy. It was a terrible crime."
Responding to a UN investigator's call for an FBI probe, Trump said in June 2019 that the matter "has been heavily investigated."
When asked by whom, he replied, "By everybody," before once more underscoring the importance of Saudi purchases of US goods.