President Donald Trump said he had refused to listen to a tape of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing shared by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images White House Trump: 'I don't know' if Saudi prince lied

President Donald Trump said in an interview released Sunday that he didn't know whether Saudi Arabia's crown prince lied about his involvement in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, despite evidence that he may have played a role.

Trump also suggested he may just live with it, even if Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman misled him, because "we do have an ally, and I want to stick with an ally that in many ways has been very good."


"I don’t know," he told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." "Who could really know? But I can say this, he’s got many people now that say he had no knowledge."

Trump said he had refused to listen to a tape of the killing shared by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"Because it’s a suffering tape, it’s a terrible tape," he said. "I’ve been fully briefed on it. There’s no reason for me to hear it. ... It was very violent, very vicious and terrible."

The CIA has reportedly concluded that the prince ordered Khashoggi's assassination. Trump has declined to confirm the findings but has said a report will be released early this week.

Khashoggi was slain at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 when he went to secure documents needed for his planned marriage.