Kushner advised Saudi Prince to 'weather storm' in wake of Khashoggi murder: NYT

Kushner has reportedly become the prince’s most important defender inside the White House

Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to US President Donald Trump, has reportedly been advising the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the aftermath of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder that set off an international firestorm and has continued to be the crown prince’s most staunch supporter, according to a New York Times report Saturday.

The report detailed Kushner’s relationship with Salman stating that the two are “on a first-name basis, calling each other Jared and Mohammed in text messages and phone calls.”They are said to have met on several occasions to handle the backlash over the controversial circumstances regarding the prominent journalist’s death in which Kushner apparently advised Salman to "weather the storm.”

Khashoggi, a 59-year-old Washington Post contributor who had been fiercely critical of the powerful crown prince, was slain while inside the Saudi embassy in Turkey. His disappearance sparked harsh backlash against the Saudi government as evidence mounted that the Saudis were behind the killing.

As a result, the Trump administration, who have fostered increasingly warm ties with the Saudi kingdom, was put in an intractable bind as mounting pressures called for condemnation by Trump over the killing.

Initially refraining from attacking Prince Mohammed, Washington announced sanctions on 17 Saudis allegedly involved, including two top aides of the prince.

Neither side though named the mastermind of the operation. But, according to the Post and The New York Times, the CIA is certain that it was Prince Mohammed himself.Kushner has been publicly quiet about the case and his friend the prince, but according to the Times report, has kept in close contact with Salman even after the October 2 killing.

“Mr. Kushner became the prince’s most important defender inside the White House,” people familiar with its internal deliberations said to the Times.Although White House protocol stipulates a National Security Council staff should be present on any phone calls with foreign leaders, Kushner and Salman continued to chat informally after Khashoggi's death, said the Times.

A White House spokesman told the Times in a statement that "Jared has always meticulously followed protocols and guidelines regarding the relationship with MBS [referring to the initials of the crown prince] and all of the other foreign officials with whom he interacts."The White House however declined to comment on Kushner’s direct communication with Salman since Khashoggi’s murder.