Washington: President Donald Trump on Tuesday brushed aside US intelligence findings that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likely bore responsibility for the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as he warmly welcomed the Saudi leader to the White House for his first visit in seven years.

The US–Saudi relationship had been severely strained after the murder of Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the kingdom. But seven years on, the rupture appears fully repaired, with Trump publicly embracing the 40-year-old crown prince, calling him an indispensable figure in shaping the Middle East for decades to come.

In defending Prince Mohammed, Trump downplayed Khashoggi’s killing, describing the journalist as “extremely controversial” and adding, “a lot of people didn’t like that g

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