New Delhi, Nov. 18 -- US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (November 18) downplayed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's role in the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, contradicting the CIA's conclusion that the crown prince likely ordered the operation.

"A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about," Trump said, referring to Khashoggi. "Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen, but [bin Salman] knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that."

Despite long-standing criticism of Saudi Arabia's rights record, Trump hailed the crown prince as a transformative leader.

"We have an extremely respected man in the Oval Office today, a friend of mine for a long time, a very good friend of m...