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It’s been a combative week for Donald Trump.
And many observers believe that the president’s rudeness with reporters is evidence that the ongoing strain of the Epstein files scandal is beginning to take a toll.
Earlier this week, Trump referred to a Bloomberg reporter as “Piggy.”
And today in the Oval Office, he lashed out at another female journalist for asking a relevant question.
This time, it was ABC White House correspondent Mary Bruce, who asked about the 2018 murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a visit from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial,” Trump said, referring to Khashoggi.
“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,” the president continued, according to CNN.
“Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it. And would you leave it at that? You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question.”
Yes, Trump entered pissed-off mom mode, blasting a journalist for embarrassing him in front of “our guest” (who happens to be a crown prince who’s been credibly accused of taking part in state-sanctioned murder).
Trump’s claim runs counter to the CIA’s investigation, which found that the crown prince approved the 2018 operation that killed Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey.
At the White House today, bin Salman denied any knowledge of the crime and claimed that the Saudi government had “improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that. And it’s painful, and it’s a huge mistake, and we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
It’s unusual for a sitting US president to cast doubt on the findings of a CIA investigation.
But then again, Khashoggi was a journalist, and no US president has been as openly antagonistic toward the press as Trump.
Has he ramped up his attacks in recent weeks? And if so, is the increased vitriol an effort to distract from the Epstein scandal?
Whatever the case, with the House passing a resolution to release the files, we’re closer than ever to what could be the final word on one of the biggest scandals in US history.
