"What really matters is that the U.S. has withdrawn from pressuring countries more generally over human rights."

On Tuesday, Trump was explicit about wanting to protect the American diplomatic and economic relationship with the oil producer, saying: "They have worked closely with us and have been very responsive to my requests to keeping oil prices at reasonable levels — so important for the world."

Whether the CIA's full report leads to any schism in political and economic relations between the West and Saudi Arabia is now looking even more doubtful, given Trump's comments. So far, the U.S. and Europe have only issued sanctions targeted at individuals alleged to have had a role in the murder.

But of course, the murder or mistreatment of journalists hasn't bothered some Western governments that much before.

There are numerous examples of journalists being assaulted or imprisoned, missing or murdered all over the world. While many journalists' deaths occur in times of civil unrest and conflict during the dangerous process of reporting, others take place in nominally peaceful and prosperous times.

The common denominator in journalists' murders is that they tend to come after a reporter has investigated and exposed wrongdoing or has criticized those in positions of power and influence. And just as we've seen in the investigation into Khashoggi's murder, there is often uncomfortable evidence to link top officials to these deaths.

In India, Russia and China — top trading partners of the West — being a journalist is one of the most dangerous vocations you can pursue.

In Russia, 38 journalists have been murdered between 1992 and 2018, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In India, 34 journalists have been murdered in the same time period. These murders are invariably linked to the investigative or critical work of the journalist. In China, more than 50 journalists and bloggers are currently detained in "conditions that pose a threat to their lives," according to Reporters Without Borders.

And in Myanmar just two months ago, the government handed down seven-year sentences to two Reuters journalists who were investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya men and boys by security forces. Myanmar's leader once celebrated leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, claims the journalists were jailed for handling official secrets.