After speaking with troops, President Trump spent part of his Thanksgiving morning defending Saudi Arabia following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Mr. Trump doubled down on his Tuesday statement that he sides with the Saudis, saying the Saudi crown prince and his father both “vehemently” deny a role in his death. The CIA, Mr. Trump said Thursday, never “concluded” that the Saudi royals were responsible in the death, although CBS News has confirmed that CIA intelligence points to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordering the murder. Mr. Trump has refused to listen to audio of the killing.
Asked who should be held responsible for Khashoggi’s death, the president said Thursday, “Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a vicious place.”
“So I hate the crime and I hate what is done and I hate the cover-up,” Mr. Trump also said. “And I will tell you this, the crown prince hates it more than I do.”
The president has long couched his defense of the Saudis in economic terms, saying the financial relationship between the two nations is indispensable.
“Do people really want me to give up hundreds of thousands of jobs – and frankly, if we went by this standard, we wouldn’t have anybody as an ally,” Mr. Trump said Thursday. Read full in CBS News
