Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, widow of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggiis speaking out against President Donald Trump after he made excuses for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who U.S. intelligence has connected to Khashoggi’s 2018 assassination.
On Tuesday, Trump hosted bin Salman at the White House where he was asked about the killing by reporters.
“He’s done a phenomenal job,” Trump said of bin Salman. “You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial—a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that.”
Trump’s statement ultimately gave the stamp of approval from the U.S. government to a widely condemned action against the press.
In a Reuters story published later that day, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi responded and said, “Nothing [can] justify just a horrible crime … because he’s controversial or he’s unliked by someone.”
U.S. intelligence sources have linked the murder of the journalist to bin Salman, citing a recording from a member of the kill team who ordered another to “tell your boss,” who is widely believed to be bin Salman.
Khashoggi was a correspondent for the Washington Post, which has become more friendly toward the Trump administration under owner Jeff Bezos. But even the Post was compelled to criticize Trump’s comments.
“These distortions dishonor Khashoggi’s legacy, stand at odds with the facts and are beneath the office of the president,” the publication’s editorial board wrote in a column. “Legitimizing and defending Mohammed this way will embolden him and his ilk to mistreat not just journalists but any Americans—knowing that they’ll probably face no real consequences.”
Trump was also criticized by the National Press Club, which said in a statement“We urge all world leaders—including our own—to speak with moral clarity about the protection of journalists and to reinforce the universal commitment that a free press is indispensable to a free society.”
But Trump has long made clear he has little regard for a free and open press.
He recently called a woman reporter a “piggy” for asking him about the Epstein filesand he routinely sues news outlets for publishing anything he doesn’t like. Trump has also repeatedly demanded—and received—bribes from news outlets.
Backing the murder of a journalist is directly in line with Trump’s other behaviors—and it serves as a warning to reporters across the nation.
