Khashoggi Assassination: Trump Defends MBS, Suppresses CIA Findings, Blocks Accountability
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Khashoggi, a permanent U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. He was killed and his body dismembered by a 15-member Saudi team that included members of MBS's personal security detail. Turkish intelligence recorded audio of the killing and shared it with the CIA. The CIA concluded MBS ordered the operation. Trump's November 2018 statement defending Saudi Arabia cited the CIA assessment as uncertain and emphasized arms sales: '$450 billion of jobs, 450 billion dollars.' Trump resisted congressional pressure for Magnitsky Act sanctions against MBS. The administration characterized MBS's culpability as inconclusive despite CIA findings.
Overview
The CIA told the president that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia had ordered a journalist murdered. The journalist was a permanent U.S. resident who wrote for an American newspaper. The president issued a statement saying the United States would stand by Saudi Arabia and cited the number of American jobs the arms relationship supported.
This was not ambiguity. It was a deliberate choice, stated explicitly.
The Statement
Trump's November 2018 statement is worth reading carefully. It treated accountability for Khashoggi's murder as a threat to American safety. It cited "$450 billion" in Saudi commitments to U.S. businesses — figures fact-checkers found were substantially overstated. It characterized the CIA's high-confidence assessment as uncertain.
The CIA had concluded with high confidence. The White House said maybe. The difference between those two characterizations was the difference between accountability and impunity.
The Arms Sales
Trump's statement was explicit: the Saudi relationship was worth too much to sacrifice for a journalist's murder. "$450 billion of jobs," he said. The figure was inflated. The logic was stated plainly: commercial value outweighs accountability for state murder.
This was not a failure of rhetoric. It was a policy position, described on paper, by the president.
The ODNI Assessment
Biden declassified the assessment in February 2021. It stated that MBS had approved an operation to capture or kill Khashoggi. The document confirmed what the CIA had found and Trump had minimized. The facts had not changed. The administration's willingness to act on them had.
Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, was waiting outside the consulate when he entered. She was still waiting when she called the police.
Timeline
Sequence of events
October 2, 2018
Khashoggi enters Saudi consulate — killed
Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and permanent U.S. resident, enters the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain marriage documents. He is killed by a 15-member Saudi team. His body is dismembered. Turkish intelligence captures audio of the killing.
October 20, 2018
Saudi Arabia acknowledges killing — claims it was a fight
After days of denial, Saudi Arabia acknowledges Khashoggi died inside the consulate. Initial explanations claim he died in a fight. The explanations shift multiple times before eventually acknowledging premeditation.
October 26, 2018
CIA concludes MBS ordered killing — high confidence
The CIA reaches a high-confidence conclusion that MBS ordered the killing. Turkish audio recordings and the composition of the hit team — including members of MBS's personal security detail — are cited. The assessment is shared with the White House.
November 20, 2018
Trump issues statement defending Saudi Arabia — cites arms sales
Trump issues a written statement declining to hold MBS accountable, citing arms sales, the alliance, and characterizing CIA findings as uncertain. The statement explicitly treats commercial relationships as more important than accountability for the state murder of a U.S. resident.
February 26, 2021
Biden declassifies ODNI assessment — MBS approved killing
The Biden administration releases the declassified ODNI assessment concluding MBS approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi. The document confirms CIA findings Trump had treated as uncertain. Biden imposes sanctions on individuals but not MBS personally.
Sources
- ↑ Jamal Khashoggi: Saudi Dissident Journalist Disappears — The New York Times
- ↑ Trump defends Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi killing — The Washington Post
- ↑ Trump sides with Saudi Arabia over CIA on Khashoggi — The Associated Press
- ↑ Assessing the Saudi Government's Role in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi — Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Verification