The death of a journalist who was a dissident of the Saudi regime was a subject of discomfort in the Oval Office, but the President of the United States returned comfort to his guest
The scene of celebration and communion between the United States and Saudi Arabia was abruptly interrupted by a question about Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist murdered in 2018.
For Donald Trump, the death of the Saudi regime dissident was the death of someone “extremely controversial”, as was the topic raised during Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House.
“You’re mentioning someone who was extremely controversial. Many people didn’t like the gentleman we’re talking about. Whether we liked him or not, things happen, but he didn’t know anything about it, and we can leave it at that,” said the American president in the Oval Office.
“He didn’t know anything about it, we can leave the matter like that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest with questions like that”, he added, defending the prince of Saudi Arabia, who at the time of his death already belonged to the Saudi government.
This is the Saudi prince’s first visit to the United States since the death of Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, with suspected involvement by the Riyadh regime.
Furthermore, information obtained by the United States indicates that Mohammed bin Salman approved the capture or death of the journalist, one of his main critics, and the Reuters agency mentions that this information was ignored by Donald Trump.
Already in the White House, Mohammed bin Salman asked to speak. “I feel hurt, you know, for the 9/11 families, but we have to focus on reality.”
A reality that the Saudi prince understands to be a conspiracy to undermine the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia. “The reality is that, based on CIA documents and bin Laden documents, they used the Saudi people in this event for a greater purpose: to destroy this relationship, to destroy the American-Saudi relationship,” he continued.”
“Whoever is buying this theory, it means they are helping bin Laden’s purpose of destroying this relationship,” added Mohammed bin Salman.
It should be remembered that Osama bin Laden was of Saudi nationality and came from one of the families closest to power, descending from tycoons of the Saudi regime. He ended up becoming a pariah in the country when he led Al-Qaeda against the United States, in a conflict that reached its climax on September 11, 2001.
Asked directly about Jamal Khashoggi’s death, Mohammed bin Salman admitted a “painful” case that resulted from a “big mistake”. “Regarding the journalist, it is really painful to hear that someone lost their life for no real reason or illegally, and this has been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” he pointed out, ensuring that all the correct investigative measures were taken.
