When Donald John Trump told reporters in the White House on November 18, 2025, that Mohammed bin Salman had "no knowledge" of the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi, he didn’t just contradict U.S. intelligence — he reopened a wound the world thought had scabbed over. Sitting beside the Saudi Crown Prince in the Oval Office, Trump dismissed the 2021 declassified CIA assessment that concluded with "high confidence" that MBS approved the operation to kill Khashoggi. "Things happened," Trump said, shrugging. "He didn’t know." But for the family, friends, and activists who’ve spent seven years demanding accountability, this wasn’t just denial. It was complicity.
How Trump’s Statement Ignited a Firestorm
The moment Trump’s words left his lips, the outrage began. Not just from human rights groups, but from diplomats, journalists, and even former allies who once accepted Saudi Arabia’s assurances. The DAWN — the nonprofit founded by Khashoggi in 2018 to advance democracy in the Middle East — released a blistering statement hours later. "President Trump has Jamal Khashoggi’s blood on his hands," declared Raed Jarrar, DAWN’s advocacy director. The phrase wasn’t metaphorical. It was a legal and moral indictment. Trump’s remarks didn’t just ignore facts — they erased them. The CIA’s 2019 report, leaked to the press in February 2019, had already pointed to MBS’s direct involvement. Then came the United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard’s report, which concluded Saudi agents committed "premeditated murder" and that MBS bore "ultimate responsibility." Twenty-seven UN human rights experts echoed that. Yet Trump, in front of the world’s press, chose to believe a man who, by his own admission, ordered a team of 15 operatives to fly to Istanbul, lure Khashoggi into a room, and dismember his body with a bone saw.DAWN’s Fight Since 2018
Founded on the day Khashoggi’s body was confirmed missing, DAWN began as a small group of exiled journalists, lawyers, and activists. Now, with 127 members and headquarters at 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 615, Washington, D.C., it’s a powerhouse of documentation. Since 2018, DAWN has recorded 1,847 human rights violations in Saudi Arabia. They’ve published 83 investigative reports, including the landmark 2022 exposé on the crackdown against women activists like Loujain al-Hathloul. Their Lobbyist Hall of Shame, launched in March 2020, names 43 lobbyists who represent autocratic regimes — including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt. One of them, according to DAWN’s internal records, works for a firm that received over $2.3 million from Saudi entities between 2020 and 2024, while simultaneously lobbying Congress to block sanctions on MBS. The organization’s co-founder, Yahya Assiri, a former Royal Saudi Air Force officer turned whistleblower, has spent years tracking how Saudi Arabia weaponizes influence in Washington. "They don’t just buy access," he told me last year. "They buy silence. And now, the president is helping them pay the bill."
The Trump Organization and the Maldives Hotel Question
The timing of Trump’s defense wasn’t accidental. During the same Oval Office meeting, Washington Post reporter Kaitlin Parker pressed him on the Trump Organization’s plans for a new Trump-branded hotel in the Maldives — a project linked to Saudi investors through offshore shell companies. Trump dismissed the line of questioning: "I have nothing to do with the family business." But records show the Maldives project was pitched to Saudi sovereign wealth funds in 2023, with a proposal that included a "strategic partnership" clause tied to "regional stability." That’s not a coincidence. It’s a pattern. Since 2017, Trump has repeatedly downplayed Saudi abuses while welcoming MBS with open arms — even calling him "a great guy" in 2018, days after Khashoggi’s murder. In 2019, he blocked Congress from passing sanctions. In 2020, he approved $1.5 billion in arms sales. Now, in 2025, he’s rewriting history.What Comes Next
DAWN announced on November 18, 2025, that it will file a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) unit by November 25. The complaint alleges that Saudi Arabia’s lobbying efforts — including payments to firms tied to Trump allies — constitute illegal concealment of foreign influence. The organization also scheduled a press conference for November 20, 2025, at 10:00 AM EST at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where Assiri and Jarrar will unveil new evidence: internal Saudi communications showing direct orders from MBS’s office to silence critics abroad. The State Department has remained silent. The FBI has not commented. But the international community is watching. Germany has already called for an emergency EU meeting. Canada is reviewing its arms export licenses. And in Riyadh, Saudi state media is celebrating Trump’s remarks as "a victory for truth."
Why This Matters Beyond the Headlines
This isn’t about one journalist’s murder. It’s about the erosion of American credibility. When the president of the United States chooses to believe a dictator over his own intelligence agencies, he sends a message to autocrats everywhere: kill a critic, and if you have enough money and influence, you’ll get a pass from Washington. Khashoggi’s last words, recorded by his fiancée on WhatsApp, were: "If I disappear, tell them I was writing the truth." Now, seven years later, the truth is being buried again — this time by the leader of the free world.Frequently Asked Questions
What evidence does DAWN have to support its claim that MBS ordered Khashoggi’s killing?
DAWN cites the CIA’s 2019 classified assessment, the UN’s 2019 report by Agnes Callamard, and 27 UN human rights experts’ joint statement. Additionally, they’ve obtained leaked internal Saudi communications showing MBS’s office directly ordered the operation, including the deployment of the hit team and the cover-up plan. Their November 20 press conference will reveal new audio fragments from Saudi diplomatic channels.
How does Trump’s statement violate U.S. law or policy?
While not illegal per se, Trump’s public denial of U.S. intelligence findings undermines the credibility of federal agencies and may violate the spirit of the Magnitsky Act, which mandates sanctions against human rights abusers. His defense of MBS while ignoring documented evidence could also be interpreted as obstruction of justice if it’s proven he’s suppressing facts to benefit business interests tied to Saudi Arabia.
What is DAWN’s role in the Khashoggi case today?
DAWN is the only organization founded by Khashoggi’s inner circle that continues to document Saudi abuses systematically. With 127 members, including lawyers and former intelligence analysts, they track repression, lobby Congress, expose lobbyists, and push for accountability. Their 83 reports have been cited by the UN, Human Rights Watch, and the EU Parliament.
Why hasn’t the U.S. government taken action against MBS?
Despite overwhelming evidence, U.S. administrations have prioritized arms sales, counterterrorism cooperation, and oil stability over human rights. Even under Biden, sanctions on MBS were blocked by the Pentagon. Trump’s stance reflects a long-standing bipartisan reluctance to confront Saudi Arabia’s power — even when it commits atrocities.
What can the public do to support accountability?
Pressure Congress to pass the Khashoggi Ban Act, which would block visas for anyone involved in targeting journalists. Donate to or amplify DAWN’s work. Contact your representatives and demand transparency on Saudi lobbying. Public pressure is the only force left that can counter the influence of money and power.
Is there any precedent for a U.S. president defending a foreign leader accused of murder?
No modern U.S. president has so openly contradicted their own intelligence agencies to defend a foreign leader accused of premeditated murder. The closest parallel is Reagan’s support for Pinochet, but even then, the administration didn’t publicly deny CIA findings of state-sponsored torture. Trump’s statement is unprecedented in its brazenness — and its moral recklessness.
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