The editor of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's at The Washington Post on Thursday blasted outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis James Norman MattisBiden courts veterans amid fallout from Trump military controversies Trump says he wanted to take out Syria's Assad but Mattis opposed it Gary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November MORE, saying he was part of administration efforts to “downplay” CIA evidence linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi’s death.

Karen Attiah asked on Twitter to be spared from the "'Mattis stands up for US values' takes" in the media after Mattis said he was resigning from the Trump administration.

Mattis was part of the White House’s attempts to downplay CIA evidence linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to the murder of @WashingtonPost writer Jamal #Khashoggi —- he claimed there was “no smoking gun”.



Please spare me the “Mattis stands up for US values” takes. — Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) December 21, 2018

Khashoggi, a journalist who was critical of the Saudi government in his columns in The Washington Post, was killed in October when he went to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

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Mattis had said that there was “no smoking gun” linking the crown prince to the death of Khashoggi, contradicting a reported conclusion from the CIA.

Mattis announced his resignation on Thursday, sending a note to President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE saying he deserved a secretary "whose views are better aligned with yours."

Both Republicans and Democrats have praised Mattis and said they were troubled by his abrupt departure, which came one day after Trump announced that he would withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiHoyer: House should vote on COVID-19 aid — with or without a bipartisan deal Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE (Calif.) called Mattis “a comfort to many of us as a voice of stability in the Trump administration.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellFEC flags McConnell campaign over suspected accounting errors Poll: 59 percent think president elected in November should name next Supreme Court justice Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' MORE (R-Ky.) said he was “distressed” by the news.

“So I was sorry to learn that Secretary Mattis, who shares those clear principles, will soon depart the administration. But I am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of America’s global leadership," McConnell said in a statement.