US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump says he has been “fully briefed” on an audio recording of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder but does not want to listen to it himself.
Taped recordings from within the Saudi embassy in Istanbul where Khashoggi was killed have formed the basis for claims that he was killed by hit squad that travelled from Saudi Arabia
Officials from a number of nations are also understood to have heard the tape but Trump said he has not.
“Because it’s a suffering tape. It’s a terrible tape,” he said in an interview with Fox News Sunday that was conducted on Friday.
I’ve been fully briefed on it, there’s no reason for me to hear it, in fact I said to the people should I? They said: “you really shouldn’t, there’s no reason.”…. It was very violent, very vicious and terrible.
The interview was conducted before the Washington Post reported yesterday that the CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist.
During the interview, Trump said that bin Salman has personally denied to him “about five times” that he had any involvement in the murder
Asked whether he feels he was lied to by bin Salman, Trump said he was unsure:
I don’t know, how can anybody really know? But I can say this, he’s got many people now that say he had no knowledge.
https://www.facebook.com/FoxNewsSunday/videos/523984511408848/
The US has not officially delivered a conclusion on the circumstances Khashoggi’s death but a report is expected to be delivered in the coming days.
“The United States government is determined to hold all those responsible for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable,” the US State Department said in a statement yesterday.
Recent reports indicating that the US government has made a final conclusion are inaccurate. There remain numerous unanswered questions with respect to the murder of Mr. Khashoggi.
The statement added: “The US government has taken decisive measures against the individuals responsible, including visa and sanctions actions. We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those accountable who planned, led and were connected to the murder. And, we will do that while maintaining the important strategic relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia.”
- With reporting by Associated Press
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