President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States intends to remain a “steadfast partner” of Saudi Arabia even though Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may have known about the plan to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Reuters reported.
Trump, in a statement issued by the White House, indicated he had no intention of canceling military contracts with Riyadh, saying, “if we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries.”
Trump said U.S. intelligence agencies were still studying the evidence of how Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and who planned it.
“Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump said.