Vindman: Republicans lack 'bravery' to demand release of Trump-Mohammed bin Salman call transcript [View all]

Source: The Hill

11/21/25 1:31 PM ET


Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) on Friday said a bipartisan push would be required to force President Trump to release a transcript of a 2019 call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the wake of the murder of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, Vindman said he did not expect his Republican colleagues to buck the president.

“Congress can act. We would need bipartisan support … unfortunately, my Republican colleagues are lacking in a trait, bravery,” Vindman, who served on the National Security Council (NSC) in the first Trump administration, told reporters at a press conference outside the Capitol, standing alongside Khashoggi’s widow and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).

“But you know, the president can also release a transcript on his own, and we saw that with the Ukraine call, the president decided to release a transcript, and he felt like he had nothing to hide, and he said he was doing it in the name of transparency,” he added.

The Virginia lawmaker said the public would be “shocked” if they heard Trump’s conversation with the crown prince about Khashoggi, who resided in Virginia at the time he was killed.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5617441-trump-saudi-call-transcript-khashoggi/