Rep. Vindman Urges Release of 'Shocking' 2019 Trump–Bin Salman Call Transcript After Khashoggi Killing

Representative Eugene Vindman, who reviewed classified calls while on the National Security Council in 2019, urged the White House to release the transcript of a 2019 call between President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after Jamal Khashoggi's murder. Vindman called the exchange "shocking" and said it suggested a quid pro quo, though he declined to disclose classified details. Dozens of House Democrats have joined his demand; media reports point to a June 21, 2019 conversation about Iran and oil prices.

11:11 PM, 11/21/2025Politics

Rep. Vindman Urges Release of 'Shocking' 2019 Trump–Bin Salman Call Transcript After Khashoggi Killing

Representative Eugene Vindman, who served on the National Security Council in 2019 and reviewed confidential presidential phone calls, on Friday urged the White House to release the transcript of a 2019 conversation between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that followed the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"The Khashoggi family and the American people deserve to know what was in that call... the receipts will raise serious questions," Vindman said at a news conference alongside Khashoggi's widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi.

Vindman described the exchange as, in his view, "shocking," but said he could not disclose classified details. He told reporters the call involved an apparent quid pro quo, suggesting the president may have offered a favor in return for something, though Vindman declined to specify the details because of classification restrictions.

White House communications director Steven Cheung responded by email, calling Vindman "a bitter back-bencher who nobody takes seriously" and accusing him of being "a serial liar."

President Trump hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a lavish White House reception this week and defended him against allegations that he approved the October 2018 killing of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey — a conclusion reached by U.S. intelligence agencies. On Tuesday, Trump said bin Salman knew nothing about the slaying.

Vindman represents a district in Virginia, where Khashoggi lived at the time of his death. Dozens of House Democrats signed a letter this week backing Vindman's demand that the White House make the call transcript public.

Vindman did not give an exact date for the conversation. Media reports have identified a June 21, 2019 phone call between Trump and the crown prince during which the two leaders reportedly discussed tensions with Iran and oil prices.

Vindman said the Saudi call was one of two classified conversations that worried him while he worked on the NSC — the other being the July 2019 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that became central to Trump's first impeachment. Vindman's twin brother, Alexander Vindman, also served on the NSC and filed the whistleblower complaint concerning the Zelenskiy call, in which Trump urged Ukraine to investigate then-candidate Joe Biden.

By Patricia Zengerle. Edited by Cynthia Osterman.