Trump Defends Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Case: He Hates It More Than I do

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Donald Trump once again defended Saudi Arabian leadership in the case of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, suggesting that the whole world, which is the "vicious place," should be blamed for the journalist's killing.

"Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a vicious place," US President Donald Trump told journalists after his Thanksgiving teleconference with the military, answering who should be held accountable for Khashoggi's murder.

According to Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regretted the death of the journalist stressing that "the crown prince hates it more than I do." 

READ MORE: CIA Holds 'Smoking Gun' Phone Call of Saudi Crown Prince on Khashoggi — Reports

Earlier this week, Trump said the CIA did not have any definitive answer on whether the crown prince had been aware of the prepared killing of the journalist. Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States was determined to remain a committed partner of Saudi Arabia in order to ensure its interests and those of its international partners such as Israel.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist, who was living in a self-exile in the United States since last year, went missing after he entered a Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. After weeks of denying any knowledge about his whereabouts, Riyadh admitted that the journalist had been killed inside the consulate. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir said Khashoggi had been killed by people who criminally overstepped their authority.