US President Donald Trump has spoken out on the alleged role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a rare televised address with ABC News' Mary Bruce, Trump denied that his administration had any prior knowledge of the plot to kill the Washington Post contributor, who was a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia.
"Look, I think it's very important to note that we've never heard anything about this before," Trump said. "We're not saying that Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not involved, but we don't have any information."
When pressed on why he had allowed the 9/11 families to visit his White House, a move many saw as insensitive and tone-deaf given the controversy surrounding Khashoggi's murder, Trump took a defensive stance.
"The 9/11 families are tremendous people," he said. "They're good friends of mine, and I'm happy to have them here."
But when asked about Saudi Arabia's culpability in the Khashoggi affair, Trump seemed hesitant to commit to any specific actions against the kingdom.
"I think it would be unfair to make judgments on something that hasn't been proven yet," he said. "We need to see the evidence and make sure we're doing what's right."
Meanwhile, some 9/11 families expressed outrage over Trump's decision to allow their relatives to visit his White House, just days after the US government approved a $15.7 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia.
"It's disgusting," said Lorie Van Auken, whose husband was killed in the 9/11 attacks. "The president is essentially saying that what happened to Jamal Khashoggi doesn't matter, and he's more concerned about his base than with doing justice."
The controversy surrounding Trump's handling of the Khashoggi affair has sparked renewed calls for accountability from lawmakers and human rights groups.
In a surprise twist, ABC News' Mary Bruce revealed that Prince Mohammed bin Salman had warned her not to press him on the matter during their exclusive interview. "He said 'don't go there'," she told CNN. "It was very unusual."
The Saudi government has maintained its innocence in Khashoggi's murder, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman has denied any involvement.
As the world continues to reel from the shocking allegations surrounding Khashoggi's death, Trump's response has only added fuel to the fire, sparking a heated debate over accountability and justice.
"Look, I think it's very important to note that we've never heard anything about this before," Trump said. "We're not saying that Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not involved, but we don't have any information."
When pressed on why he had allowed the 9/11 families to visit his White House, a move many saw as insensitive and tone-deaf given the controversy surrounding Khashoggi's murder, Trump took a defensive stance.
"The 9/11 families are tremendous people," he said. "They're good friends of mine, and I'm happy to have them here."
But when asked about Saudi Arabia's culpability in the Khashoggi affair, Trump seemed hesitant to commit to any specific actions against the kingdom.
"I think it would be unfair to make judgments on something that hasn't been proven yet," he said. "We need to see the evidence and make sure we're doing what's right."
Meanwhile, some 9/11 families expressed outrage over Trump's decision to allow their relatives to visit his White House, just days after the US government approved a $15.7 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia.
"It's disgusting," said Lorie Van Auken, whose husband was killed in the 9/11 attacks. "The president is essentially saying that what happened to Jamal Khashoggi doesn't matter, and he's more concerned about his base than with doing justice."
The controversy surrounding Trump's handling of the Khashoggi affair has sparked renewed calls for accountability from lawmakers and human rights groups.
In a surprise twist, ABC News' Mary Bruce revealed that Prince Mohammed bin Salman had warned her not to press him on the matter during their exclusive interview. "He said 'don't go there'," she told CNN. "It was very unusual."
The Saudi government has maintained its innocence in Khashoggi's murder, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman has denied any involvement.
As the world continues to reel from the shocking allegations surrounding Khashoggi's death, Trump's response has only added fuel to the fire, sparking a heated debate over accountability and justice.
#JusticeForJamal #AccountabilityMatters The way Trump is handling this whole thing is just mind-boggling 
He's all like "we don't have any info" but then allows 9/11 families to visit the White House, which is just insensitive and tone-deaf 
#NotOkay #PresidentialFail
That's some serious red flag waving right there 
#SaudiGovernmentCoverUp #KhashoggiMurder
#PoliticsOverPeople #JamalDeservedBetter
I gotta say, this whole thing is just super weird, you know? Like, Trump's trying to deny any involvement in Jamal Khashoggi's murder, but at the same time, he's allowing 9/11 families to visit his White House? 
It's like, what's going on here? And then he's got the nerve to say that the Saudi government didn't do anything wrong? That's just crazy talk! 
Warning ABC News' Mary Bruce not to press him about the matter? Give me a break! It's like, if you've got something to hide, maybe don't try to strong-arm the media, right?
That's just so messed up.
... trump's handling of the khashoggi situation is literally cringeworthy 
. and what's up with him not committing to taking action against saudi arabia? they're basically getting away scot-free 
. trump needs to step up his game and start taking responsibility for his actions (or lack thereof) on this issue 
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I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... it seems like Trump is more concerned about his base than actually doing what's right. 
and now abc news revealed that prince mohammed bin salman warned mary bruce not to ask him about it lol what is going on here the saudi gov just denies everything but trump is all "i dont know anything" meanwhile the arms sale to saudi arabia just went through and its all super sketchy
... Can someone please explain what's going on here?
... I mean, come on, Trump needs to be more than just a puppet for his "base" - he needs to do what's right and hold those in power accountable 
and those 9/11 families getting all kinds of special treatment from him? really? it's like they're more important than khashoggi's life 
. if there's nothing to hide, then why would he try to silence her? or maybe it's just a case of trump trying to cover his own tracks again 
. we need answers, not just empty denials from the president 
I'm not buying it. And those 9/11 families visiting the White House is just...wow. It's so insensitive and tone-deaf, you know? Like, doesn't he care that his actions are causing so much pain to people who lost loved ones on 9/11? 
i mean trump is saying we gotta see the evidence before we do anything but isnt that kinda like saying we gotta see the bodies of all those 9/11 victims before we can talk about justice?! 
. That's some serious intimidation right there. It's like, if we can't even trust our journalists to ask tough questions, how are we supposed to know what's going on? We need more transparency and less spin