U.S. President Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump continues to defend Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid mounting evidence that he is responsible for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The New York Times reported Monday.
In an opinion piece, The Times wrote that Trump called Saudi Arabia a “truly spectacular ally” in direct contrast to his earlier criticism of the Kingdom for “the worst cover-up in history”.
Even after the CIA released a report which concluded that bin Salman ordered the assassination, Trump said he would wait for his administration to deliver its own report before making any comments and assigning blame.
Germany on Monday imposed a travel ban on 18 Saudi citizens over their suspected involvement in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.“These individuals are the members of a 15-man team and three others suspected of taking part in this plan,” Christofer Burger, deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, told a news conference in Berlin.He said the decision was taken in close coordination with two other EU partners -- the U.K. and France.Asked whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was among the first group of people receiving sanctions, Burger declined to make any comments on the matter.The Washington Post reported last week that the CIA had concluded the Khashoggi’s murder was ordered by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2.Saudi Arabia had offered shifting explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance before suggesting he was killed during a botched rendition operation by rogue agents.So far, 21 people, including security officers, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder.Egyptian woman comes forward as Khashoggi’s secret wifeDahlan ‘cover-up team’ from Lebanon helps hide traces of Khashoggi murderTurkey says Khashoggi killers may have taken body parts out of country
Khashoggi case: Germany slaps travel ban on 18 Saudis
"For Mr. Trump, it is enough that Prince Mohammed denied any involvement in the killing in phone calls with him," said The Times.
The newspaper noted that Trump’s position on Khashoggi is becoming increasingly isolated, with the European Union demanding clear answers on what happened to the Saudi journalist, and even Israel, which has strategic ties with Saudi Arabia, not verbally defending the Crown Prince.
Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Monday called on the international community to put an end to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, but made no direct mention of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The king, who had largely stepped back from active political life, has intervened to try to defuse the crisis, the biggest to hit Saudi Arabia in a generation, and shore up the power of his son and heir apparent, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.He did, however, laud the Saudi judiciary and prosecution service in his speech on Monday for "performing the duties they were entrusted with", without elaborating.Saudi trolls take action as Ankara presses forward in Khashoggi caseThe king’s remarks to the Shura Council, a top advisory body to the government, were his first public comment since Khashoggi’s murder, which sparked global outcry and strained Riyadh's ties with the West.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2.Saudi Arabia had offered shifting explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance before suggesting he was killed during a botched rendition operation by rogue agents.Germany imposes travel bans on 18 Saudis over Khashoggi killingYemen conflictThe king said Saudi Arabia supported U.N. efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-backed coalition has been battling Iran-aligned Houthi rebels for nearly four years to restore the internationally-recognised government."Our standing by Yemen was not an option but a duty to support the Yemeni people in confronting the aggression of Iranian-backed militias," he said.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.Video: Starving Yemeni children struggle to battle cholera as conflicts continueThe conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as proxies for Shia Iran -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.The following year, UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait failed to end the destructive conflict.The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.Rouhani says Iran to continue oil exports and resist US economic warIranian jobs pay the price as US sanctions start to bite
Saudi king makes no mention of Khashoggi case in first public comment since murder
After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later that he was killed there.
Trump's position on the matter is also being met with resistance in the U.S. legislature.
“Everything points to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, MbS, ordering @washingtonpost journalist Jamal #Khashoggi’s killing,” said Bob Corker, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The murder of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey’s Istanbul has thrust an unwavering spotlight on Riyadh and top Saudi officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.As Turkey keeps pushing for the truth in the case of Khashoggi’s murder, Saudis have taken to social media. Hashtags laced with anti-Turkey sentiment even became a trending topic on Twitter on Sunday evening. Two hashtags in particular calling for boycotting tourism in Turkey and professing love for Crown Prince bin Salman were trending in the Kingdom. A closer look at some of the users behind the campaigns reveals that a large number of accounts taking part in these campaigns appear to be run by bots with photos of bin Salman used as profile pictures. One tweet accompanied by a photo says, “Not taking a stance is betrayal” and another reads, “How can we respect those that don’t respect our leaders? Will they show us respect if we go to them?”#مقاطعه_السياحه_التركيهمن لا يحترم قادتنا وبلادنا ومقدساتنا كيف يحترمنا اذا ذهبنا لهم pic.twitter.com/x8Cc4rFJ6j— 🇸🇦MBS💛🖤abuoenad ابوعناد (@abuoenad) 18 Kasım 2018 A different Twitter user tweeted a photo of a crossed-out Turkish flag, calling the boycott of Turkish goods “a national duty.”عداوة تركيا للسعودية اشبه بعداوة الشيطان لابن ادم، عداوة يغذيها الحسد والحقد، والسعودي الغيور على بلدة يجب علية مقاطعة تركيا في كل شئ هذا واجب وطني #مقاطعه_السياحه_التركيه pic.twitter.com/8sLBvDsfAs— مكحل الذيب (@t800800) 18 Kasım 2018 Saudi journalist Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and Turkey has provided the U.S. as well as other countries with a recording of the murder.After weeks of denying any involvement in the crime, Saudi Arabia later admitted that Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate but claimed the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of any plot to murder the journalist.According to reports, Turkish investigators found traces of "hydrofluoric acid and other chemicals" inside a well at the Saudi consul general's home in Istanbul, suggesting Khashoggi’s body was dissolved in acid and other chemicals.Germany imposes travel bans on 18 Saudis over Khashoggi killingOn Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s chief prosecutor’s office announced it had charged 11 out of 21 suspects in relation to the murder, seeking the death penalty for five of the suspects.The CIA believes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, complicating President Donald Trump's efforts to preserve ties with a key U.S. ally.The sources said the CIA had briefed other parts of the U.S. government, including Congress, on its assessment, which contradicts Saudi government assertions that Prince Mohammed was not involved.Khashoggi killing embarrassed France: French journalistTrump wants Saudi Arabia as an ally despite 'vicious' Khashoggi murderWashington Post says Trump is defending bin Salman’s 'lies'
Saudi trolls take action as Ankara presses forward in Khashoggi case
The president noted that Saudi Arabia’s pledge to buy $110 billion worth of weapons has created jobs for the American people. Yet The Times, citing defense analysts, said only around $14.5 billion in sales have been booked.
Trump also noted that the U.S. has suspended air-to-air refueling of Saudi planes in the Yemen war and imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi nationals involved in the crime.
“At the same time, we do have an ally, and I want to stick with an ally that in many ways has been very good,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview that aired on Sunday the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was "very vicious" but that he wants to stick with Saudi Arabia as a close ally in the Middle East.Under pressure to punish Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi's death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, Trump questioned the alleged role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is known as MbS and is the kingdom's de facto ruler."He told me that he had nothing to do with it," Trump said in an interview with "Fox News Sunday", adding that "many people" also said the crown prince had no knowledge of the killing.The interview was taped on Friday, hours before government sources said the CIA had briefed the Trump administration on the murder and its belief that MbS ordered it.Trump said on Saturday that the CIA assessment was "very premature" and in the interview that aired on Sunday he said it may never be possible to know who ordered Khashoggi's murder.US president refuses to hear Khashoggi death tape"Well, will anybody really know?" he said."He did have certainly people that were reasonably close to him and close to him that were probably involved ... But at the same time we do have an ally and I want to stick with an ally that in many ways has been very good."Trump faces intense pressure from senior Democratic and Republican lawmakers to take tougher action against Saudi Arabia. Some have said the United States should suspend arms sales to the kingdom and drop his support for MbS, but Trump has so far resisted that pressure.Egyptian woman comes forward as Khashoggi’s secret wifeDahlan ‘cover-up team’ from Lebanon helps hide traces of Khashoggi murderThe U.S. government on Thursday imposed economic sanctions on 17 Saudi officials for their alleged role in the killing, but the sanctions did not target the Saudi government.Saudi Arabia is a major oil supplier and a close ally of the United States in countering Iranian power in the Middle East.Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, said on Sunday he had no doubt about MbS' involvement in ordering the murder of Khashoggi."They are an important ally but when it comes to the crown prince, he's irrational, he's unhinged and I think he's done a lot of damage to the relationship (between) the United States and Saudi Arabia. And I have no intention of working with him ever again," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."Trump said his administration has a taped recording related to the Khashoggi murder, provided by the Turkish government, but that he has not listened to it and does not want to."I know everything that went on in the tape without having to hear it," he said. "It was very violent, very vicious and terrible."
Trump wants Saudi Arabia as an ally despite 'vicious' Khashoggi murder
The Times wrote that despite Trump's defense of bin Salman, the White House will leverage the Khashoggi incident to curtail the war in Yemen, which would appease American legislators who have been calling for an end to the war.
Yet Trump's commitment to bin Salman will not waver because the Crown Prince "has become the fulcrum of the administration’s strategy in the Middle East," according to The Times.
“It’s very clear that what the administration wants is to buy off Congress with Yemen,” Bruce Riedel, an expert on Saudi Arabia and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told The Times.
“But it doesn’t solve the underlying problem, which is that Mohammed bin Salman is a destabilizing force in the region.”