White House adviser Jared Kushner met on Tuesday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia for the first known time since the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year.
President Trump’s son-in-law, who is on a week-long tour of the Middle East, conferred on a number of issues with the crown prince including a peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, according to the White House.
“Building on previous conversations, they discussed increasing cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and the Trump Administration’s efforts to facilitate peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. Additionally, they discussed ways to improve the condition of the entire region through economic investment,” a White House readout said.
Not included in the White House readout was any mention of Khashoggi.
The meeting took place as Crown Prince Mohammed still faces scrutiny over alleged involvement in the death of the Washington Post columnist. Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, disappeared in October after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to retrieve paperwork for a planned marriage to his Turkish fiance.
After initially denying involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance, the Saudi monarchy ultimately admitted his death occurred at the consulate in Istanbul during an interrogation gone wrong, but denied the crown prince had any involvement.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been critical about Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the death and the Trump administration’s response to the killing.
Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt and U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook were also in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting.
Kushner and the crown prince have been in contact since before Trump was inaugurated, ultimately cultivating a working friendship. Communications between the two have continued since the Khashoggi’s death, the New York Times reports.
