Khashoggi’s Widow Demands Release of ‘Highly Disturbing’ Transcript Between Trump and MBS

Jamal Khashoggi’s widow is demanding the release of a “highly disturbing” 2019 phone call transcript between President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince.

Hanan Eltr Khashoggi held a press conference on Capitol Hill Friday along with reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Eugene Vindman (D-VA) are demanding the read-out of the call between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman — known as MBS — to be made public.

Vindman said he reviewed the classified transcript as a member of the National Security Council during Trump’s first term and found that it “would shock people if they knew what was said.”

U.S. intelligence concluded that MBS had Khashoggi killed and dismembered in 2018 for criticizing Saudi human rights abuses. Vindman did not disclose the subject matter discussed between the two leaders on the call.

Trump hosted MBS at the White House this week when an ABC News reporter asked about Khashoggi’s murder.

“You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial,” Trump said of Khashoggi. “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 guests by asking a question like that.”

Hanan Eltr Khashoggi took umbrage with Trump’s characterization.

“Jamal Khashoggi was a very stable man, a very kind man,” she said of her late husband. “And he met with different people, different backgrounds, and I promise you, you would walk away with a smile.”

She continued, “I heard this week something very disturbing from President Trump about my husband is controversial and unliked. I would like to tell Mr. Trump he’s expressing someone else. Not Jamal Khashoggi.”

Mrs. Khashoggi accused MBS of committing a “terrorist attack” for killing and dismembering her husband.

Raskin added, “Khashoggi was assassinated by Saudi Arabia and this is what our president describes, the compressed formulation of, ‘Things happen.’ And that pretty much captures his attitude toward the whole thing. In fact, earlier he said to a traveling member of the administration who was on his way to Saudi Arabia, that he should remind Mohammed bin Salman that we saved his posterior, although that wasn’t the word used by our profane and vulgar president.”

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.