'A bone saw happened': ​Morning Joe trashes Trump’s defense of Saudi prince​

“Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough obliterated President Donald Trump’s Tuesday defense of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

While meeting with the Saudi leader, Trump spoke with journalists in the Oval Office. And one reporter asked about the October 2018 murder of Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by Salman’s henchmen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey as his unsuspecting girlfriend waited outside.

The Turkish government had secretly bugged the consulate and Khashoggi's final moments were captured in audio recordings, transcripts of which were subsequently made public.

Despite the facts, Trump was dismissive of the assassination.

“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,” Trump told the reporter. “Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen.” He then added that the crown prince “knew nothing about it,” contradicting U.S. intelligence.

Scarborough was infuriated by the soppy rationalization.

“Now get this, get this, get this: He's sitting next to a man who was responsible for the sawing up of a reporter, and then he calls an ABC news supporter, a reporter in subordinate. Think about that," Scarborough said.

“Morning Joe” co-host Jonathan Lemire was similarly horrified.

“There was a time when the American president, whoever it was, no matter which party, would try to be an example for the rest of the world in terms of human rights, in terms of freedom of the press. And that is something that this president has never been interested in doing,” Lemire said. “He's cozying up to power authoritarians and the like. And yesterday, his response to that ABC reporter was, as noted, ‘things happen.’ A bone saw happened. That's what happened to Jamal Khashoggi. He was chopped up with a bone saw with at least the knowledge and perhaps at the instruction of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. [Trump] then went went on to say, there's ‘some people who didn't like Jamal Khashoggi,’ suggesting that maybe he had it coming, that some people disagreed with him.”

“And then to set him at another opulent state dinner last night, described as the glitziest event that he has thrown for any leader so far this year, the most lavish event the White House has held so far this year. [And all] in the honor of, of MBSm” Lemire continued. “… [A]gain, this president is using a moment with the eyes of the world on him to turn away from what would be considered traditional values of the office.”