The murder of Jamal Khashoggi just entered a new, odd chapter. Donald Trump released a bizarre statement making it clear that regardless of what happened to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, “our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” Here is some of the what Trump said:

The crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that our country does not condone. Indeed, we have taken strong action against those already known to have participated in the murder. After great independent research, we now know many details of this horrible crime. We have already sanctioned 17 Saudis known to have been involved in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi, and the disposal of his body.

Representatives of Saudi Arabia say that Jamal Khashoggi was an “enemy of the state” and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but my decision is in no way based on that – this is an unacceptable and horrible crime. King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!

That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region. 

The statement is being called a slap in the face to the intelligence community. As the Washington Post recently wrote:

The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last month, contradicting the Saudi government’s claims that he was not involved in the killing, according to people familiar with the matter.

Reaction to Trump’s statement today has been swift:

The term “enemy of the state” from Trump’s statement is also raising some red flags.


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked about this today. Here are some of his remarks:

“It’s a mean, nasty world out there. The Middle East in particular. there are important Americann interests to keep the american people safe. to protect Americans. not only Americans who are here but Americans who are traveling and working, doing business in the middle east. It is the president’s obligation and indeed the state department’s duty as well to ensure we adopt policies that further america’s national security. So as the president said today, the United States will continue to have a relationship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, they are an important partner of ours. We will do that with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its people.”

Watch the rest of Pompeo’s remarks above.