President Donald Trump broke with his usual antagonistic rhetoric toward the media during a segment of a “60 Minutes” interview released Saturday morning.
Trump acknowledged there was a “lot at stake” over the disappearance of the Saudi writer, whom the Turkish government claims was murdered by Saudi Arabian officials, but said his status as a reporter makes the crime — if true — even more egregious.
“Well there’s a lot at stake, there’s a lot at stake. And maybe especially so because this man was a reporter,” he said. “There’s something — you’ll be surprised to hear me say that, there’s something really terrible and disgusting about that if that was the case so we’re going to have to see. We’re going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment.”
"There will be severe punishment." In his first 60 Minutes interview since taking office, President Trump tells Lesley Stahl that if Saudi Arabia is found to be responsible for journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death, there will be consequences. https://t.co/BRZfIPHbNY pic.twitter.com/s6X98AylBR
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 13, 2018