'Things happened?' Trump's remarks on dismembered journalist leave Jake Tapper astounded

CNN host Jake Tapper slammed President Donald Trump on Monday for his comments about a slain journalist while hosting a foreign leader whom American intelligence agencies concluded ordered the journalist's killing.

Trump hosted Saudi Arabian Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud at the White House on Monday. During a press conference, a reporter asked MBS about the murder of former Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Khashoggi was assassinated and his body was dismembered in October 2018 in Turkey by a Saudi hit squad that American intelligence agencies say conducted the operation with MBS's approval.

Trump jumped in to answer the question about Khashoggi's killing, saying the journalist was a "controversial figure" and that "things happened" to him.

Tapper responded to Trump's claims during Monday's broadcast of "The Lead."

"Things happened?!" Tapper said. "Here's thething that happened, Mr.President. In October 2018,while you were president, Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Postcolumnist, was, according toU.S. intelligence, killed anddismembered in the Saudiconsulate in Istanbul by menwith close ties to the highestlevels of the Saudi government."

Tapper also chided MBS's claim during the press conference that Saudi Arabia is "doing everything it can" to prevent a similar event from happening.

"Exceptsomething similar has happened," Tapper said. "Again, just five months ago, Saudi Arabia executed Turki al-Jasser, anotherjournalist, this one known forexposing corruption. The Associated Press reports thatthis time Saudi Arabia publicly leveled chargesof various terrorist crimes andaccusations of destabilizing thesecurity of society, thoughauthorities did not detail orprovide any evidence."