Trump dismisses US intelligence that Saudi prince was likely aware of 2018 killing of journalist
WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed U S intelligence findings that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likely had particular culpability in the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Trump warmly welcomed the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia on his first White House visit in seven years The U S -Saudi relationship had for a time been sent into a tailspin by the operation targeting Khashoggi a fierce critic of the kingdom But seven years later the dark clouds over the relationship have been cleared away And Trump is tightening his embrace of the -year-old crown prince who he stated is an indispensable athlete in shaping the Middle East in the decades to come Trump in his defense of the crown prince derided Khashoggi as extremely controversial and explained a lot of people didn t like that gentleman Prince Mohammed for his part denies involvement in the killing of Khashoggi who was a Saudi citizen and Virginia resident Whether you like him or didn t like him things happen Trump disclosed of the international event when inquired about it by a reporter during an Oval Office appearance with Prince Mohammed But Prince Mohammed knew nothing about it And we can leave it at that You don t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that But U S intelligence authorities determined that the Saudi crown prince likely approved the killing by Saudi agents of U S -based journalist inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul according to U S findings declassified in at the start of the Biden administration Trump authorities during his first administration refused to release the review Prince Mohammed commented Saudi Arabia did all the right actions to investigate Khashoggi s death It s painful and it s a huge mistake he commented Trump even commended the Saudi leader for strides made by the kingdom on human rights without providing any specific detail I m very proud of the job he s done declared Trump who declared the two have become good friends What s he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else President Joe Biden labeled the oil-rich kingdom pariah state in the early days of his profitable White House run After taking office his administration made clear the president would avoid direct engagement with the crown prince But eventually Biden determined that freezing out the Saudis was not tenable as oil prices spiked following Russia s February invasion of Ukraine The Democrat even paid a visit to Prince Mohammed in Jeddah in July of that year to urge the kingdom and fellow members of the OPEC oil cartel to pump more oil to alleviate high gas prices caused in part by the war in Europe New assets from Saudis The crown prince for his part reported Saudi Arabia was increasing its planned investments in the U S to trillion up from billion that the Saudis informed they would pour into the United States when Trump visited the kingdom in May Echoing rhetoric that Trump likes to use the crown prince used the moment to flatter the Republican leader by calling the U S the hottest country on the planet for foreign venture What you re creating is not about an opportunity in contemporary times It s also about long term opportunity Prince Mohammed declared Trump s family has a strong personal interest in the kingdom In September London real estate developer Dar Global publicized that it plans to launch Trump Plaza in the Red Sea city of Jeddah It s Dar Global s second collaboration with the Trump Organization the collection of companies controlled by the U S president s children in Saudi Arabia Last year the two companies informed the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah Trump pushed back on suggestions that there could be a conflict of interest in his family s dealings with the Saudis I have nothing to do with the family business Trump noted Trump s comments about Khashoggi s and defense of his family s business in Saudi Arabia were blasted by human rights and cabinet oversight activists Human rights groups say Saudi government continue to harshly repress dissent including by arresting human rights defenders journalists and political dissidents for criticism against the kingdom They also note a surge in executions in Saudi Arabia that they connect to an effort to suppress internal dissent Trump s shameful and disgusting comments about the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi cannot be separated from Trump s personal business interests with the Saudi regime declared Robert Weissman co-president of the establishment watchdog group Residents Citizen Rolling out the red carpet Trump warmly received Prince Mohammed when he arrived at the White House Tuesday morning for a pomp-filled arrival ceremony that included a military flyover and a thundering greeting from the U S Marine band Technically it s not a state visit because the crown prince is not the head of state But Prince Mohammed has taken charge of the day-to-day governing for his father King Salman who has endured wellness problems in latest years Trump manifested the prince the newly-installed Presidential Walk of Fame that features gold-framed images of past presidents along the West Wing colonnade and a photo of an autopen signing the name of former President Joe Biden in place of the Democrat s official portrait Later Trump with the first lady Melania Trump will welcome the crown prince for formal dinner in the White House East Room The two nations are also planning an resources summit at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday that will include the heads of Salesforce Qualcomm Pfizer the Cleveland Clinic Chevron and Aramco Saudi Arabia s national oil and natural gas company where even more deals with the Saudis could be communicated Fighter jets and business deals Ahead of Prince Mohammed s arrival Trump broadcasted he has agreed to sell the Saudis F- fighter jets despite particular concerns within the administration that the sale could lead to China gaining access to the U S instrument behind the advanced weapon system Trump s announcement is also surprising because particular in the Republican administration have been wary about upsetting Israel s qualitative military edge over its neighbors especially at a time when Trump is depending on Israeli backing for the success of his Gaza peace plan Trump declared Israel would like to see the Saudis delivered jets with reduced caliber But he added that the Saudis have been a great ally and should get top of the line aircraft Abraham Accord talks The unexpected move comes at a moment when Trump is trying to nudge the Saudis toward normalizing relations with Israel The president in his first term had helped forge commercial and diplomatic ties between Israel and Bahrain Morocco and the United Arab Emirates through an effort dubbed the Abraham Accords Trump sees expansion of the accords as essential to his broader efforts to build stability in the Middle East after the two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza Getting Saudi Arabia the largest Arab market and the birthplace of Islam to sign on would spur a domino effect he argues But the Saudis have maintained that a path toward Palestinian statehood must first be established before normalizing relations with Israel can be considered The Israelis remain steadfastly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state We want to be part of the Abraham Accords but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of a two-state cure Prince Mohammed reported AP writers Josh Boak Seung Min Kim Michelle Price and Darlene Superville contributed to this record Source
