On Tuesday, President Donald Trump downplayed questions about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, calling the Saudi dissident “extremely controversial” and suggesting that bringing it up during his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was intended to embarrass his guest.

“You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you liked him or didn’t like him, things happen,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

Trump also insisted that Prince bin Salman whom the CIA assessed as likely having ordered the murder had no involvement. “He knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” he added.

When asked about Khashoggi’s murder, the crown prince called it “painful” and “a huge mistake,” while defending the investigation. “About the journalist, it’s really painful to hear anyone that been losing his life for no real purpose or not in a legal way, and it’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” Prince bin Salman said. He also stated that Saudi Arabia “did all the right steps of investigation” and that “we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”

Tuesday marked Prince bin Salman’s first trip to Washington since 2018, just months before Khashoggi was killed at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

A CIA assessment released in 2021 concluded that the prince approved the assassination of the Washington Post columnist, although he has consistently denied involvement. “We base this assessment on the Crown Prince’s control of decision-making in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi,” the report said.