Secret footage that could drag Trump into another scandal PHOTO/VIDEO

After Trump insisted that Mohammed bin Salman had no involvement in Khashoggi’s murder, despite U.S. intelligence officials concluding that he ordered the assassination, a former Trump national security insider claims there is evidence to the contrary.

Congressman from Virginia Eugene Vindman served on the National Security Council during Trump’s first administration. His work included reviewing certain conversations between the president and foreign leaders.

He claims that one phone call he reviewed undermined Trump’s startling defense of the Crown Prince in the Oval Office on a Tuesday, when, regarding Khashoggi’s murder by Saudi agents, Trump said: “Things happen.”

“During my tenure on Trump’s White House National Security Council, I reviewed many of the president’s calls with foreign leaders. Of all the calls I reviewed, two stood out as most concerning,” said Vindman, a retired Army officer who now represents Virginia’s 7th District, adding:

“First, we all know, was between President Trump and President Zelensky, which led to Trump’s first impeachment. The second was between President Trump and Mohammed bin Salman. After the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, I reviewed the call between the president and the Saudi Crown Prince. The American people and the Khashoggi family deserve to know what was said in that conversation. If history is any guide, the accounts will be shocking.”

The president also hosted a dinner for the Crown Prince. Guests included Elon Musk, who has regained Trump’s favor; Saudi-based football star Cristiano Ronaldo; Apple CEO Tim Cook; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang; and billionaire investor Bill Ackman.

WIN MCNAMEE / Getty images / Profimedia

However, it was Trump’s earlier comments in the Oval Office that shocked Americans and prompted Vindman to call for the release of the phone call transcript in his address to the House of Representatives.

Asked about Khashoggi, who was killed and dismembered with a bone saw by Saudi agents in 2018, Trump said on Tuesday: “You’re mentioning someone who was extremely controversial. Many people didn’t like the gentleman you’re talking about. Whether you like him or not, things happen.”

He also said about the prince: “He didn’t know anything about it, and we can leave it at that. You don’t need to embarrass our guest by asking such a question.”

Jamal Khashoggi

Khashoggi was a longtime columnist for The Washington Post, known for his criticism of the Saudi kingdom. He was killed and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, after going there to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.

However, according to veteran reporter Bob Woodward, Trump once boasted that he had protected Salman from congressional scrutiny following the murder, which the CIA attributed to the Crown Prince.

"I saved him… I got Congress to leave him alone. I got them to stop," Trump is quoted as saying in Woodward’s book Rage.

EPA/ALI HAIDER

However, the Saudi king has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and told reporters on Tuesday: “We have taken all the correct steps regarding the investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia, and we have improved our system to ensure that nothing like this happens again.”

Trump was also forced to defend his family’s business interests in Saudi Arabia, insisting that there was no conflict of interest as president because “I have nothing to do with the family business.”

For example, this week, the Trump Organization and its Saudi-based development partner, Dar Al Arkan, announced a project allowing cryptocurrency investors to purchase stakes in real estate projects branded with the Trump name.

Tanjug/AP Photo/Alex Brandon