US President Donald Trump fiercely defended Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) at the White House on Tuesday, insisting the Saudi crown prince did not know about the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, effectively contradicting an assessment by US intelligence agencies.
The controversy over the killing of Khashoggi, a US-based critic of the Saudi leadership, flared again as the kingdom's de facto ruler made his first White House visit in more than seven years, seeking to further rehabilitate his global image tarnished by the incident.
US intelligence concluded that bin Salman approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The crown prince denied ordering the operation but acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom's de facto ruler.
"A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about, whether you like him or didn't like him," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office with bin Salman sitting beside him. "Things happened, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that."
Bin Salman said it had been "painful" to hear about Khashoggi's death but that his government "did all the right steps of investigation." "We've improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that. And it's painful and it's a huge mistake," he told reporters.
Trump also praised the crown prince for doing an "incredible" job on human rights, but did not elaborate. Bin Salman has been strongly criticized by human rights groups not only for the Khashoggi killing but for his crackdown on dissent at home.
At the start of his visit, the crown prince was greeted with a lavish display of pomp and ceremony presided over by Trump on the South Lawn, complete with a military honor guard, a cannon salute, and a flyover by US warplanes.
MBS says he 'wants to be part of Abraham Accords' at White House meeting
MBS also said at the meeting that he wants his country to be part of the Abraham Accords, but also make sure to secure a path to a two-state solution," during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
Trump addressed Saudi-Israeli normalization, saying he spoke with the crown prince about the Abraham Accords and that he received a positive response.
The US president also said that the US would sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in a similar arrangement it has with Israel. "As far as I'm concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line (F-35s)," Trump declared, referring to Saudi Arabia and Israel as great allies.