United States President Donald Trump told Fox News that he wouldn't listen to the alleged recording of the assassination of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi. "I've been fully briefed on it," he added in an interview aired on Sunday and said he was advised by his aides not to. Trump asserted he was told "it was violent, very vicious and terrible... a suffering tape," but indicated he wouldn't want to worsen bilateral relations.
"You saw we put on very heavy sanctions, massive sanctions on a large group of people from Saudi Arabia. But at the same time we do have an ally and I want to stick with an ally that in many ways has been very good," the commander-in-chief stated and claimed he knows "exactly what went on" in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in early October.
Asked whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman lied to him that he didn't have anything to do with the murder of Khashoggi, Trump said: "Who can really know?" and noted there are people reasonably close to the Saudi Royal that "were probably involved." Turning to the war in Yemen and the opposing positions of Saudi Arabia and Iran, the president underscored it "takes two to tango," calling on both sides to "stop."
