Trump fires back on ABC news reporter after she asked embarrassing questions for him and the Saudi Crown Prince
US President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to stop ABC News after he was angered by questions from a reporter about his family’s business dealings in Saudi Arabia and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Reporter Mary Bruce asked the questions in the Oval Office on Tuesday to the US president and his guest, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was accused by US intelligence in an earlier report of having approved the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
The reporter asked Trump, “Is it appropriate, Mr. President, for your family to do business in Saudi Arabia while you’re in office? Don’t you see that as a conflict of interest?”
Saudi real estate developer Dar Global on Monday announced a new partnership in the Maldives with the Trump Organization, a group led by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump since 2016, but whose father is still a shareholder through a trust fund.
The reporter addressed the Saudi crown prince, saying, “Your Royal Highness, the US intelligence has concluded that you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist… The families of the victims of 9/11, are outraged that you are here in the Oval Office… Why should the American people trust you?”
After learning that the reporter was working for ABC News, Trump responded sharply, calling the station a “fake news” channel and “one of the worst in the industry”.
Trump denied any conflict of interest, saying, “I have nothing to do with my family’s business… I stopped it”.
He then fiercely defended his guest in the case of Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by agents who came from Saudi Arabia.
He said the Saudi crown prince didn’t know anything about it and we can leave it at that… I don’t need to embarrass our guest by asking him such a question.
But that didn’t stop the reporter from pursuing her questions, as she resumed her attack on Trump minutes later, this time over the Jeffrey Epstein case, which has been bothering the Republican president for months.
Trump angrily responded, “You know, it’s not the question that bothers me, it’s the method… I think you’re a very bad journalist”.
“Let me tell you something… I think the ABC license should be withdrawn because your reports are so false and misleading”.
He then turned to the reporter and said, “We don’t want any more questions from you”.
