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In the weeks and months following Khashoggi\u2019s October 2, 2018 killing, Trump repeatedly downplayed U.S. intelligence findings that pointed directly to the Crown Prince\u2019s involvement. Key statements from that period include:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Washington, November 22, 2025 \u2013 BNN Web International Desk<\/strong><\/p>\n Seven years after the brutal murder of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the case has once again ignited global outrage, fuelled by an emotional statement from his widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi.<\/p>\n \u201cNo circumstances can ever justify abduction and torture,\u201d Mrs Khashoggi said in a powerful new interview, her voice breaking with grief and anger. \u201cJustice is still missing. We are still waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n Her words have thrust former U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s controversial 2018 defense of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) back into the spotlight, with many of his old statements now circulating widely on social media and in news reports.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s 2018 Remarks: \u201cMaybe He Did, Maybe He Didn\u2019t\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In the weeks and months following Khashoggi\u2019s October 2, 2018 killing, Trump repeatedly downplayed U.S. intelligence findings that pointed directly to the Crown Prince\u2019s involvement. Key statements from that period include:<\/p>\n Trump consistently refused to cancel billions of dollars in U.S.\u2013Saudi arms deals, arguing that economic interests outweighed human-rights concerns and that a diplomatic guest should not be publicly humiliated.<\/p>\n A Stark Contrast with U.S. Intelligence<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The CIA and other agencies concluded with high confidence that Mohammed bin Salman personally approved the operation that led to Khashoggi\u2019s dismemberment. Despite this, Trump sided publicly with the Saudi leadership\u2019s denials, providing what many analysts described as the strongest international shield the Crown Prince received at the time.<\/p>\n Seven Years On, the Wound Remains Open<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Hanan Elatr Khashoggi\u2019s fresh appeal has reignited calls for accountability and transparency. No one has been convicted at the senior level in Saudi Arabia, and the masterminds widely believed to have acted on orders from the highest echelons of power have never faced international justice.<\/p>\n As Mrs Khashoggi told reporters this week:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI still wake up every day hoping for truth and justice. Seven years is too long for a family to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n The renewed focus on the case serves as a grim reminder that one of the most shocking political assassinations of the 21st century remains, in the eyes of Khashoggi\u2019s loved ones and human-rights defenders, unresolved.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the weeks and months following Khashoggi\u2019s October 2, 2018 killing, Trump repeatedly downplayed U.S. intelligence findings that pointed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2658,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908],"class_list":["post-33589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","tag-bnn-web-international-desk","tag-cia-intelligence-assessment","tag-donald-trump-2018-remarks","tag-global-justice-concerns","tag-hanan-elatr-khashoggi-statement","tag-here-are-clean-tags-for-your-news-article-without-hashtags","tag-human-rights-accountability","tag-khashoggi-assassination-anniversary","tag-saudi-arabia-diplomatic-tensions","tag-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman","tag-separated-by-commas-jamal-khashoggi-case","tag-u-s-foreign-policy-controversy","tag-u-s-saudi-relations","tag-washington-post-journalist-murder"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"colormag-highlighted-post":false,"colormag-featured-post-medium":false,"colormag-featured-post-small":false,"colormag-featured-image":false,"colormag-default-news":false,"colormag-featured-image-large":false},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18e12f979c7dbcc2096868fc531de295a11443c392b4bb6e60ce343131707eaa?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":" In the weeks and months following Khashoggi\u2019s October 2, 2018 killing, Trump repeatedly downplayed U.S. intelligence findings that pointed","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["World News"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":false,"medium":false,"thumbnail":false},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/mediapbn.com\/?author=3"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18e12f979c7dbcc2096868fc531de295a11443c392b4bb6e60ce343131707eaa?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"World News<\/a>","videoUrl":"","yoast_head":"\n\n