Jamal Khashoggi's Widow Reacts to Trump's Comments on His Murder

Reaction to Trump's Oval Office Comments

• 💔 Hanan Elatr Khashoggi expressed deep disappointment and hurt over President Trump's remarks that seemed to downplay the Crown Prince's role in her husband's killing.
• 🚫 She stated emphatically that "There is nothing to justify the crime", regardless of disagreements with a person's opinions or vision.
• 🗣️ Khashoggi emphasized that actions like kidnapping, torture, murder, and dismemberment are never justifiable, and Trump's comments felt like an attempt to justify the crime.

Accountability and Crown Prince's Responsibility

• 🤥 Khashoggi found it devastating that President Trump stated the Crown Prince knew nothing, especially since the Crown Prince himself admitted responsibility in a 2019 60 Minutes interview.
• ⚖️ She stressed that verbal admission of responsibility is insufficient; concrete actions are needed to demonstrate accountability, such as a transparent trial for the 18 individuals involved in the crime.
• 😔 She revealed that she has not received an official apology and has endured "seven years of hell", with her life destroyed and her devices compromised.

Surveillance and Personal Impact

• 🕵️‍♀️ Khashoggi discovered that she was under surveillance by Emirati authorities, in collaboration with Saudis, since 2017, even before her husband's murder.
• 🎯 This surveillance was to track her husband, as she was his closest confidante and supporter during his exile.
• ⛓️ She detailed being detained multiple times in Dubai, placed under house arrest, and tortured until she fled to America, only for her husband to be killed afterward.

US Intelligence Assessment

• 📄 Khashoggi's lawyer informed her of the US Director of National Intelligence's unclassified report from February 2021.
• 🔍 The report assesses that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul to capture or kill Jamal Khashoggi.
• ❓ While Khashoggi believes the crime happened and regrets the lack of demonstrable change or remorse from Saudi leadership, she lacks the intelligence tools to be 100% certain the order came directly from the Crown Prince.