Washington (CNN) White House national security adviser John Bolton dismissed questions on Tuesday about whether he has listened to a tape that captured part of the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying he doesn't speak Arabic and would thus gain nothing from hearing the audio.

President Donald Trump has previously said that he too declined to listen to the recording, calling it "a suffering tape" and "terrible."

"No, I haven't listened to it. Why do you think I should? What do you think I'll learn from it?" Bolton said during a briefing at the White House.

Bolton added that he was able to gain enough information by reading a transcript of the audio.

"I can read a transcript, too. I'm trying to make a point to everyone that says why don't up listen to the tape, unless you speak Arabic, what are you going to get from it?" he said.

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