Despite an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump's alleged misconduct with a foreign leader, the president is attempting to rehabilitate the image of Mohammed bin Salman, The Washington Postreported Saturday.
"At the annual Group of 20 gathering of world leaders in Osaka, Japan, in June, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, beamed before cameras as he stood center stage between President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a carefully choreographed group photo. He grinned as he sat with Russian President Vladimir Putin," the newspaper reported. "The world leaders’ embrace of Mohammed was a clear signal that the young prince, who the CIA, U.S. allies and a United Nations investigator say is responsible for the savage killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, was being welcomed back, if reluctantly, into the community of nations. And it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Trump and his secretary of State, Mike Pompeo."
Wednesday will mark the anniversary of the assassination and dismemberment of the journalist.
"Mohammed, who rose to power promising transformational social and economic change in one of the world’s most strategically important countries, and who was praised by prominent writers and American executives as heralding a bright future for Saudi Arabia, quickly became a pariah," the paper noted. "Trump and Pompeo, however, never distanced themselves."
"For Trump, the value of that relationship boiled down to dollars," The Post added.
Read the full report.