Washington: President Donald Trump played down the murder of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi as he rolled out the red carpet for Saudi Arabian leader Mohammed bin Salman, saying “things happen” and admonishing reporters for embarrassing the Saudi prince.

The prime minister and crown prince is making his first visit to Washington since 2018 – months before the assassination – amid great fanfare from the White House, which lavished the kingdom’s de facto ruler with a welcoming ceremony, red carpet entrance and later tonight a formal dinner.

Khashoggi’s fate remains a hot-button issue in the US, which is where he was based at the time of his murder inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey. He wrote for The Washington Post and Middle East Eye , and criticised the crown prince

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