Saudi crown prince reportedly claimed Khashoggi was a dangerous Islamist days after his death

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia denigrated journalist Jamal Khashoggi and claimed he was a dangerous Islamist during a call with the White House shortly after Khashoggi's death, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The conversation reportedly took place between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and both White House National Security Adviser John Bolton and senior adviser Jared Kushner. The Post reports that bin Salman claimed Khashoggi was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood during this call and encouraged the U.S. to maintain its alliance with Saudi Arabia. Bolton reportedly did not indicate whether he agreed with this assessment of the missing journalist.

This was before Saudi Arabia acknowledged knowing anything about what happened to Khashoggi, who disappeared when he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October. The Saudi government's story shifted dramatically over the following weeks, first claiming Khashoggi made it out of the consulate, then suggesting he had been killed during a rogue operation that went wrong when a fist fight broke out. Later, they conceded that Khashoggi's murder was actually premeditated. In private, bin Salman was apparently "puzzled" by the widespread outrage over Khashoggi's disappearance, the Post reports.

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Recently, the Saudi government has characterized Khashoggi's death as a "terrible tragedy," and the Saudi ambassador to the United States, who is also the crown prince's brother, called Khashoggi a "friend" who dedicated "a great portion of his life to serve his country." Khashoggi's family told the Post that he was not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and said he "was not a dangerous person in any way possible." A Saudi official denied that the crown prince made these comments. Read more at The Washington Post.