Saudi Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged Saudi Arabia to be transparent about the circumances surrounding the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, White House chief adviser Jared Kouchner said on Tuesday.
Answering questions at a Time magazine forum, Kouchner did not say when he spoke to the Saudi Crown Prince about the killing of Khashoggi, who was living in the United States, inside the kingdom´s consist in Istanbul, Turkey, in October.
But Kouchner had spoken with the Crown Prince by telephone in the days following Khashoggi´s death and met with him in Riyadh during a visit to several Gulf capitals in February.
"The advice I saved him was to be as transparent as possible," Kouchner said, "but there must be accountability for what happened."
The killing of Khashoggi by Saudi officers in Istanbul sparked a wave of anger and damaged the crown of Saudi Arabia.
The CIA believes the crown prince ordered the killing, which Saudi officials deny.
US President Donald Trump has been criticized by US lawmakers for not taking a tougher stance on Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi´s death.
"I will not question the recommendations of the US intelligence services," Kouchner said when asked about the intelligence findings.
Trump says the US partnership with Saudi Arabia is important to the US economy and to maintaining stability in the region.
