Donald Trump boasted of having "
saved the skin
" of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accused by the US Congress of being responsible for the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to new excerpts from interviews granted by the President of the United States to Bob Woodward.
"
I saved his skin
", launched January 22 the Republican billionaire to Mr. Woodward, who publishes Tuesday his new book "
Rage
".
“
I managed to get Congress to leave him alone.
I managed to stop them,
”he added, according to extracts reported Thursday by the Business Insider news site.
Read also: Kashoggi: no "definitive conclusion" from Washington
Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of the Saudi regime, was assassinated in October 2018 in his country's consulate in Istanbul, where he went to retrieve a document.
His body, cut into pieces, has never been found.
This murder plunged the Saudi kingdom into one of its worst diplomatic crises and tarnished the image of the crown prince nicknamed "
MBS
", accused by Turkish and American officials of being the sponsor.
US senators, including the President's Republican camp, have formally held the prince "
responsible
" for the assassination.
But Donald Trump has always told him his support.
When Bob Woodward asked him about this murder, the President of the United States first attempted to create a diversion.
"
Yes, but Iran kills 36 people a day, so ...
" he said, according to these extracts.
Pressed by his interlocutor, he finally insisted on the denials of "
MBS
".
"
He will always say he did not do it,
" he stressed.
"
He's telling everyone, and frankly I'm glad he said that
", "
he never said he did
."
"
Do you think he did?"
», Asked the journalist.
“
No, he says he didn't
,” Donald Trump replied.
"
I know, but do you really believe it?"
"
He says very firmly that he did not do it
", ruled the president, before pointing out once again that Saudi Arabia had spent billions of dollars on American products, to justify the importance of preserve this ally.
On Monday, in a final verdict, a Saudi court overturned the five death sentences handed down for the assassination and sentenced eight unidentified defendants to terms of seven to 20 years in prison.