Trump attacks Saudis over Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, the ‘worst cover-up ever’
President Trump on Tuesday called the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and its aftermath the “worst cover-up ever,” as new information continues to be revealed about the journalist’s death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
“They had a very bad original concept,” Trump said in apparent reference to Khashoggi’s killers, according to several White House reporters. “It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups. Very simple. Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up,” he said.
He said that Saudi Arabia “has been a really great ally” and one of America’s “biggest investors.” He added that “it’s a rough part of the world” and “nasty part of the world” but that “if what happened, happened, and if the facts check out, it’s something that’s very bad.”
The follow-up question addressed whether he believes Saudi leadership in what they’ve said about the killing.
“I want to see the facts first,” he replied.
“He was pretty rough on Saudi Arabia, I would say,” said President Trump. “I haven’t gotten a full recap, as you know I have people in Turkey, and I have people in Saudi Arabia and other places, and they are all coming back as we speak, they are heading back. I will know, I think, everything in a very short period of time. It’s a bad situation. But, certainly President Erdogan was not complimentary of what happened. That was a terrible thing that happened.”
Turkey’s president declared Tuesday that Khashoggi’s killing inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul was a “premeditated” act carried out after a large of team of Saudi intelligence, security and forensic personnel suddenly descended on Istanbul.