CLOSE President Donald Trump defended his decision not to punish Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or cut arms sales to Saudi Arabia for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Protestors hold candles and pictures of Jamal Khashoggi during the demonstration in front of Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
A Turkish newspaper claimed Thursday that the Central Intelligence Agency has heard a "smoking gun phone call" of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with an alleged instruction to "silence Jamal Khashoggi as soon as possible.".
"The crown prince gave an instruction to silence Jamal Khashoggi as soon as possible and this instruction was captured during (a) CIA wiretapping," the paper claimed.
Trump has cast aside calls from U.S. lawmakers and international allies to punish the Saudi crown prince for Khashoggi's slaying.
Trump said Tuesday the benefits of good business relations with Saudi Arabia outweigh the possibility that the crown prince ordered the killing.
The Washington Post previously reported that the CIA concluded the crown prince ordered Khashoggi's assassination in Istanbul. »