Trump Defends Saudi Arabia Despite CIA High-Confidence Finding MBS Ordered Khashoggi Murder - "Maybe He Did, Maybe He Didn't"

On November 20, 2018, President Trump issues an extraordinary written statement titled “Statement from President Donald J. Trump on Standing with Saudi Arabia” that explicitly rejects CIA findings and defends Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite the intelligence community’s high-confidence assessment that MBS ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. The statement, which begins with the subheading “America First!” and is filled with exclamation points, prioritizes arms sales and geopolitical alliances over accountability for the assassination of a Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident.

Rejecting U.S. Intelligence

The CIA has concluded with high confidence that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill Khashoggi. CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed senior senators after visiting Turkey, and lawmakers emerged convinced of MBS’s direct involvement. Despite this assessment from America’s premier intelligence agency, Trump’s statement defends Saudi denials.

Trump writes: “King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event—maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”

The phrase “maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” becomes one of the most infamous lines of Trump’s presidency, demonstrating his willingness to dismiss U.S. intelligence findings when they conflict with his foreign policy priorities.

“America First!” and Economic Justifications

The statement opens with declarative statements emphasizing Trump’s worldview: “The world is a very dangerous place!” Trump then pivots to Iran, writing that “The country of Iran, as an example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, trying to destabilize Iraq’s fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, propping up dictator Bashar Assad in Syria (who has killed millions of his own citizens), and much more.”

Trump explicitly prioritizes economic and strategic interests over human rights: “That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia…The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region. It is our paramount goal to fully eliminate the threat of terrorism throughout the world!”

Arms Sales and Financial Ties

Throughout the statement, Trump repeatedly emphasizes arms sales to Saudi Arabia. While Trump has frequently cited figures like “$450 billion” in Saudi deals, fact-checkers consistently found these numbers to be fabricated or vastly inflated. According to SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) and State Department data, actual confirmed arms deals totaled approximately $14 billion at the time.

The pattern of exaggerating Saudi economic ties while downplaying the murder of Khashoggi demonstrates how financial relationships—and Trump’s perception of them—override human rights concerns and intelligence assessments in his foreign policy decision-making.

Bipartisan Congressional Outrage

The statement provokes immediate bipartisan condemnation from Congress. Senator Bob Corker, Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, states the message is “inconsistent with who we are as a nation.” Democrats and Republicans alike criticize Trump for prioritizing arms sales over justice and for contradicting U.S. intelligence agencies.

Several senators who received the CIA briefing make clear they have no doubt about Crown Prince MBS’s involvement, creating a stark contrast with Trump’s “maybe he did, maybe he didn’t” equivocation.

Significance

Trump’s November 20 statement represents one of the most explicit examples of a U.S. president rejecting intelligence community findings for financial and political reasons. The “maybe he did, maybe he didn’t!” line becomes emblematic of Trump’s approach to authoritarian allies: maintain relationships regardless of human rights violations, dismiss inconvenient intelligence assessments, and prioritize perceived economic benefits.

The statement establishes that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman can murder a U.S. resident journalist working for a major American newspaper without facing consequences from the Trump administration. This message is received by authoritarian leaders worldwide: human rights violations will not jeopardize relationships with the United States under Trump.

The Khashoggi murder and Trump’s response also expose how foreign payments to Trump businesses—including substantial Saudi spending at Trump hotels—may influence U.S. foreign policy decisions. Trump’s defense of Saudi Arabia despite the CIA’s conclusions demonstrates the corrupting influence of financial entanglements on presidential decision-making.

Four months later, Trump will veto a bipartisan congressional resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, further cementing his administration’s unwavering support for the kingdom despite mounting evidence of war crimes and humanitarian catastrophe.