Transcript for Trump defends US-Saudi Arabia bond amid Khashoggi updates
Now to the breaking headline involving president trump tonight. We have learned this evening that he has turned in his written answers to Robert Mueller, and it comes as the president also makes headlines on Saudi Arabia. Today, making it clear that he is standing with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, despite the murder of “Washington post” writer Jamal khashoggi. And despite the CIA reportedly concluding with, quote, high probability, the crown prince was behind the hit. Here’s ABC’s senior white house correspondent Cecilia Vega tonight. Reporter: From president trump today, a forceful defense. If we abandoned Saudi Arabia, it would be a terrible mistake. Reporter: That, in spite of “The Washington post’s” report that the CIA has concluded crown prince Mohammed bin Salman himself ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal khashoggi. Khashoggi last seen alive walking into the Saudi consulate in istanbul. Officials say he was assassinated by a Saudi hit squad. These airport security images published in a Turkish newspaper show the luggage of the alleged killers. Right there, electric shock devices, syringes, scissors, and radios. There was even an audio recording of khashoggi’s execution. Apparently, none of it enough to convince the president to break ranks with this Middle Eastern ally. I’m not going to destroy the world economy and I’m not going to destroy the economy for our country by being foolish with Saudi Arabia. Reporter: Today, in an exclamation point-filled statement, the president emphatically declared, “The world is a very dangerous place.” And while he criticized the murder, saying, “The crime against Jamal khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that our country does not condone,” he also essentially declared the matter case closed, writing, “It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event. Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” On Fox News, the president said the crown prince assured him he was not involved. He told me that — I would say maybe five times at different points. Reporter: Today, he told me, there’s just too much on the line. Why are you siding with the Saudis over your own intelligence community? Because it’s America first to me. Saudi Arabia, if we broke with them, I think your oil prices would go through the roof. Cecilia Vega asking the questions there at the white house. And Cecilia, the president’s lawyers are now confirming that the president has turned in his written answers to Robert Mueller? Reporter: David, they were turned in today. This, after months of negotiations over the scope of these questions, what the subject could be, how many there would be. Sources tell us that the president actually spent several days last week huddled up with his lawyers, coming up with the answers to these questions. Answers, we’re told, that address conclusion, but not obstruction. Cecilia Vega at the white house tonight. Cecilia, thank you. The other headline out of the white house tonight involves the president’s daughter,
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