When Donald J. Trump told a room full of reporters on Tuesday that Mohammed bin Salman "knew nothing about it" regarding the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, he didn’t just make a controversial claim—he rewrote history. The statement, delivered during a live White House meeting on November 18, 2025, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., flew in the face of a declassified 2021 U.S. intelligence assessment that concluded with "high confidence" that the Saudi Crown Prince personally approved the operation to kill the journalist. And yet, Trump didn’t blink. "A lot of people didn’t like him," he said of Khashoggi, before shrugging off the killing as something that "just happens." The moment felt less like diplomacy and more like a performance for a guest whose $110 billion arms deal was already being negotiated in the next room.
What the Intelligence Community Knew
On October 2, 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a 59-year-old resident of McLean, Virginia and columnist for The Washington Post, walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey to obtain paperwork for his upcoming marriage. He never walked out. A 15-member Saudi team—led by Maher Mutreb, a senior intelligence officer—ambushed him, drugged him, and dismembered his body with a bone saw. The operation was meticulously planned, down to the forensic cleanup. U.S. agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency under Director William J. Burns, intercepted communications between the hit squad and the Crown Prince’s inner circle. One intercepted call captured MBS saying, "Take care of it." The Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed in April 2021: "We assess that the Crown Prince approved the operation."
That’s not speculation. That’s evidence. And now, Trump is telling the American public to ignore it.
Trump’s Defense and the Political Fallout
When ABC News reporter Sarah Kustok pressed Trump on the issue during the meeting, he didn’t just deflect—he lashed out. "You don’t have to embarrass our guest," he snapped. He called Khashoggi "controversial" and praised MBS’s "phenomenal" human rights record. The crowd fell silent. The White House pool report, verified by five news outlets, didn’t mention a single rebuttal from any U.S. official present.
By the afternoon, the backlash was immediate. Senator Timothy Michael Kaine (D-VA), whose state Khashoggi called home, issued a blistering statement: "President Trump’s refusal to condemn MBS’s role in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder is disgusting. His claim that MBS ‘knew nothing’ goes against everything our intelligence agencies have found." Kaine, who introduced Senate Resolution 478 in October 2025 to honor the seventh anniversary of the killing, added: "Instead of rolling out the red carpet for MBS and leveraging the presidency for private hotel deals, Trump should be demanding accountability."
Then came Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), the Washington, D.C.-based human rights group founded by Khashoggi himself. Its executive director, Sarah Leah Whitson, didn’t mince words: "President Trump has sold U.S. protection—to protect a reckless dictator—all for personal and corporate gains. The American people will be left holding the bill."
And then, the bombshell.
The 2019 Call That No One’s Seen
On Wednesday morning, Representative Eugene Vindman stood on the floor of the House and dropped a legal grenade. "I reviewed many of Trump’s calls with foreign leaders," he said, his voice steady. "Two stood out. One led to impeachment. The other? A call with Mohammed bin Salman, thirteen months after Khashoggi was murdered."
Vindman, a former White House National Security Council legal advisor, didn’t say what was said on that call. But he didn’t have to. The implication was chilling: if Trump had a private conversation with MBS after the murder, and then publicly defended him as innocent, what did he promise in return? And why has no one demanded the transcript?
Vindman called for its release under the Presidential Records Act. That law gives Congress 30 days to request documents from a former president’s administration. If they do, the National Archives must produce them—unless the current president invokes executive privilege. But with Democrats holding key committee chairs and public outrage mounting, the pressure is building. The transcript could be the smoking gun.
Who’s Still Waiting for Answers?
Khashoggi’s family—his fiancée Hatice Cengiz and his children Salah, Mohammad, and Zainab—still live in McLean, Virginia. They’ve never received his remains. Seven years later, MBS refuses to say where they are. No burial. No closure. Just silence.
The Society of Professional Journalists condemned Trump’s remarks as part of a broader pattern of hostility toward the press. And the numbers tell a darker story: Saudi Arabia now holds over 5,000 political prisoners, many of them journalists, activists, and women’s rights advocates. Khashoggi’s murder wasn’t an outlier—it was a warning.
What Happens Next?
Trump’s White House has not scheduled any follow-up on Khashoggi. But Vindman’s demand has triggered a legal clock. By December 18, 2025, either the transcript will be released—or the administration will have to formally claim executive privilege, which would ignite a court battle. Meanwhile, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is considering sanctions against six additional Saudi officials tied to the cover-up.
And somewhere in Riyadh, MBS is watching. He knows the U.S. intelligence community has the truth. He knows the world remembers. But he also knows that for now, in the Oval Office, the truth doesn’t matter as much as the deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it matter that Trump said MBS "knew nothing"?
Because U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA and DNI, concluded with "high confidence" that MBS personally authorized Khashoggi’s killing. Trump’s denial isn’t just false—it undermines the credibility of America’s intelligence community and signals to authoritarian regimes that U.S. leaders will lie to protect allies, no matter the crimes.
What’s the significance of Representative Vindman demanding the 2019 call transcript?
The transcript could reveal whether Trump made a quid pro quo with MBS after the murder—perhaps promising arms sales or diplomatic cover in exchange for silence. Under the Presidential Records Act, Congress can demand its release within 30 days. If withheld, it could trigger a constitutional showdown over executive privilege and transparency.
Why hasn’t MBS revealed where Khashoggi’s body is?
Releasing the location would confirm the brutality of the murder and implicate more officials in the cover-up. Saudi Arabia has never provided forensic evidence or a body. The family’s inability to bury Khashoggi is a psychological weapon—keeping the wound open, and the world’s outrage simmering.
How has the U.S. government responded to the murder since 2018?
In 2020, the State Department sanctioned 17 Saudi officials under the Global Magnitsky Act. But no senior Saudi official has faced criminal charges. Under Biden, the U.S. briefly suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia, but resumed them in 2022. Trump’s 2025 defense of MBS marks a sharp reversal from even the limited accountability of the past decade.
Is there any legal recourse for Khashoggi’s family?
Yes. The family has filed civil lawsuits in U.S. courts against Saudi officials and private contractors linked to the killing. In 2023, a federal judge allowed a case to proceed under the Alien Tort Statute. But without cooperation from Saudi Arabia or the U.S. government, enforcement remains nearly impossible—unless the 2019 call transcript reveals direct U.S. complicity.
What does this mean for U.S.-Saudi relations going forward?
The relationship is now openly transactional: oil, arms, and silence in exchange for immunity from accountability. But as more Americans learn about Khashoggi’s story—and as Vindman’s demand forces transparency—the political cost of ignoring human rights may finally outweigh the economic benefits. The next administration will inherit a choice: restore moral credibility, or double down on realpolitik.