Tuesday morning’s testimony by CIA Director Gina Haspel on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi has those senators permitted to attend more convinced than ever that the Saudi Crown Prince was behind the plot. Senators are now saying they have “zero doubt” that is indeed what happened.
In early October, reporter Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, and was never seen again. Saudi officials have confirmed that a 15-man kill team dispatched to the consulate killed him, though they have persistently denied that the crown prince was involved.
As Khashoggi was a permanent US resident, this murder is a matter of some import, and many in Congress want a clear rebuke of the Saudis for killing him. Haspel’s testimony was closed-door and classified, but those senators who spoke to reporters said she confirmed the suspicions.
That should be unsurprising, as the White House had previously forbade Haspel testifying to the Senate, and the CIA had an assessment that expressed “high confidence” the crown prince was directing the murder. This looms large over an upcoming Senate vote on US involvement in the Saudi War in Yemen, with many wanting to withdraw US support as part of a measure to rebuke them.
Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) an Bob Menendez (D-NJ) both said their views were solidified by the Haspel testimony, though Corker said he doubted it changed many minds, adding that “you have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion” even before the testimony.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was also at the meeting, and came out concluding that the Saudi prince is “crazy” and “dangerous.” He added that he does not view the prince as a reliable partner for the US.
Indications were that this testimony was a last ditch administration attempt to try to save the Yemen War from a vote by senators angry that Haspel was blocked from testifying. Yet most senators were forbidden from hearing her at any rate, and the few allowed at the briefing came out more convinced than ever of their position, so it is unlikely that the vote will be dramatically changed.
The White House has yet to comment further on the matter, though President Trump had already set out a position on the prince that “maybe he did and maybe he didn’t,” and that either way he wouldn’t allow US support for the Saudis to change.
“We have to figure out a way to condemn the butchery and the murder in
the strongest possible terms without blowing up the Middle East,”
Kennedy said.(CNN)
He meant that figuratively but of course we ARE blowing up the Middle East right now. He means wrecking long-standing and perceived useful relationships with brutal regimes. It’s time to stop literally blowing up the Middle East and start figuratively doing so… it kills less people and costs a lot less money.
We were zero percent positive the moderate rebels did not use gas in Syria , Saddam had WMD , that the UK did not poison the Skripals themselves , Russia is the aggressor in Ukraine . Muslims would never be terrorists , Tell you the truth I don’t believe one word that comes out any of the 16 intelligence agencies including the FBI .
Why would you not think Saudi Arabia would kill a unpleasant journalist Did not they stone a naughty princes only a few years ago .
Does not Pompeo and many others in D.C. express a desire to kill Assange? Hillary killed Quadafy and was just perfectly thrilled by it, even if his anus was reamed out by a knife in the process, and he was our friend and ally, so it is said.
Let the devils that rule Saudi Arabia sort out their own problems,,I am sure they will,,Prez. Trump is right,,,don’t hurt the U.S. economy over this murder of a Saudi citizen outside the USA, keep walking,,,nothing to see here,.except$$$$$$$$.
Its kind of funny that the CIA is being hung out to dry and all they can really do is whine pathetically to their friends in the House and Senate.
of course MBS had Khashoggi killed, he was the bagman for the CIA because the CIA was trying to replace MBS with a prince who would open the financial taps for the CIAs anti Assad project and be able to stuff that coup into Trump and his MIC backers piehole.
MBS has many friends in high places, like team Jared and Bibi for instance. The fact that he’s a blood-thirsty war criminal just makes him one of the boys and you know what they say, boys will be boys.
Expect nothing to come of this. I’m sure Bloody Gina also gave those senators an ear-full about how CIA/Mossad has their sights on many journalists and truth-tellers all around the world. None of these esteemed senators will step out of line, be patriotic, and end up on a hit-list, guaranteed.
At least Bloody Gina had the balls to actually listen to the tape. Stumpy & Capt. Kangaroo don’t.
She not only listened to it, she probably made an f-ing rock song out of it, or at least an instructional tape to play for new recruits. Talk about balls.
We don’t have to live with a bunch of unsavory monarchies, least of all Saudi Arabia. We — meaning the US — can seize all the Monarchy’s assets, sanction all their “Princes”, send in the marines, take charge of their shithole country, and take all their oil.
Arrest all the Saudi Wahabbi clerics and ship them off to live out their lives preaching to each other in a facility in the empty quarter. Then we can send out the special forces across South Asia, to the formerly Saudi-sponsored Madrassas to gather up those Wahabbi imams currently instructing the next generation of head-chopper fighters, and send them off to the empty quarter as well.
Take their oil, take their money, put the Shia in charge of the rest, and go home.
“The strong do as they wish, the weak suffer as they must.”
Thucydides
Probably a good idea to f*ck with the Israelis at the same time, really clean things up.
Or just pull all the 800 bases home, all special ops around the world — making their problems none of our business. We would be the richest country in the world. We all, not just a chosen few. The workd will be happy to trade with us, as they need money too. Instead, we go down the yellow brick road of money spiders, and for them, we have to secure each and every beach head of their choice. We will never learn. Ever. We want to fix things, even though it is none of our business. And eventually, we become target. Which the spiders live, as now we eat out of their hands, militarizing our lives, making them ton of money. They create enemies, to convince us to go out there and get them!
We will never ever learn, they are smarter and always a few steps ahead. So jn the end, when money spiders start fighrting aming themselves for the shrinking pie of economic mess — we might get free. Poir, but free. Unless they once again make us fight the identity battles, so they can rule over the rubble.
We just do not learn. Saudi affair has nothing to do with poir Kashoggi or poir Yemeni children. It is about unhapiness with the new ruler that is no longer towing the line. So, we the idiots must be convinced that the honorable politicians are crying over the injustice, and give them support for whatever.
If we wanted to end Yemen hunger, we should have lifted the naval blickade and allowed any counrty willing to help to send food and medical supplies. Who would have stopped us? Saudi Navy? And why are we supporting Saudis in this war? What is Saudi Arabia expected to gain? The war is about the fate if the country that controls Bab Al Mandeb. Our war.
So here we go again. CIA has the information? We will fall for that —,again. MbS cut funding for Wahhabi enerprises and cut their role within the country, ie, morality police. We lost our man, Crown Prince Mb Nayef in June 2017. And tge bew Saudi direction in number of fronts are not to our taste. Ir better put, Bibi’s taste. Thus, good cop Kushner, bad cops in Congress, and here we go again. The irritation came last week when — due to some too clever by half decision — MbS was seated next to Putin in Buenis Aires. The two greeted in an jovial, nearbhigh-five manner, body language reflecting an understanding no words can express. Does anyone think that this would be Putin’s attitude towards a man determined to see Russia suffer in Syria, or attack Iran? Much more is going on that meets the eye, and I get really dismayed when we swallow the oldest tricks on earth. And again, and again believe that our politicians are honorable, justice loving people. Not corrupt power brokers for the globalised finance. And forget that our country cones first — not sorting other peoples’ problems.
Seems everyone forgot about Dubya taking out a whole floor of the Palestine Hotel in Iraq to slaughter Al Jazeera journalists, or Obama summarily executing a 16-year-old al-Awalki because he didn’t choose the right parents, or the destruction of Iraq, or the arming of jihadists in Syria. Is the media serious on this?
In the US, p09 our government merely blows the brains out of its president in front of the entire country and then covers it up for 50+ years.