Multiple sources are being quoted by CNN as saying that the Saudi Arabian government is preparing a report that will admit that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was, as long suspected, killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.
Exact details of what the Saudis are willing to admit aren’t finalized, but they will abandon the previous claim that Khashoggi’s visit was uneventful, and that he left safely. Instead, they will say he was captured and interrogated within the consulate, and that the interrogation “went wrong” and he died in the process.
Exactly what sort of enhanced interrogation techniques were involved in killing the journalist are uncertain, but officials say the report will conclude that the killing was done without prior clearance, as a way to shift responsibility for the death away from Saudi leadership and toward the interrogators.
Either way, this seems to still be a problem for the Saudi kingdom, as they still killed the journalist during what was supposed to be a routine visit to a consulate, and on top of that spent weeks lying about it.
This is likely to be a big focus for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s newly announced visit to Saudi Arabia. President Trump has been downplaying the entire affair, and suggested earlier today that “rogue killers” were to blame.
Even if the Saudis admit to killing the journalist, Trump has rejected the notion of any action that would threaten massive US arms sales to the Saudis, saying the US would be “punishing itself” by losing the sales.
Trump wouldn’t let a stupid little thing like basic human decency get in the way of a great deal. He’d probably sell those animals the chainsaws they use to cut poor bastards like Khashoggi into pieces if he could turn a nifty profit.
Trump? Administration after Administration have never let a stupid little thing like basic human decency get in the way of our Number One Fifth Column Israel, treating their own people in Gaza and the West Bank like the Germans treated some of their own people in the 1930s.
Two different stories The Saudi’s look to have murdered a Journalist they did not like . The Gazans , which could be Israel citizens , have been storming the border If they get across the border they would have a chance to kill some Jews . This is the reason all the Jews left Gaza a few years back . You must understand the Gazan do not want to be Israeli citizens . They want all the Jews to leave Israel so they can be in charge . I don’t know what else Israel could do ?
You must understand that the Arab citizens of Israel are not Nationals (the term the chosen have coined for their supremacist privileges). Those doggone Warsaw Ghetto jews wanted to get out of the confines of their imprisonment in the Ghetto to kill some Nazis, too. When practically every Gazan has a close relative murdered by the Chosen Ones/Master Race, revenge is understandably desired.
At least the Saudi’s do not claim that Khashoggi was “auf der Flucht erschossen”.
Well, their actual excuse is not very original either. It was used by the murderers of the SA cellars of Germany in 1933.
Now to “habeas corpus”!!! Where is the body? What does it look like? Has a forensic investigation been done? If not, why not?
The original Trump-Saudi story is unraveling by the minute. There is a saying about hoisting and petard.
Saudi Arabia isn’t going to taken to task on this or anything else. Except for some kind of face saving “punishment” . The Saudis are the most important factor in the Petro dollar. No Petro dollar and the American currency drops like a rock. And no, a collapsed dollar is not good for the USA.
Strike a deal with Iran, invade and destroy the Saudi Monarchy. Problem solved.
Send in the marines. Seize the monarchy’s funds worldwide, take the oil, retire/erase the monarchy, reduce them to the status of regular citizens. Gather the Wahabbi clerics, relocate them incommunicado for the reminder of their lives to the empty quarter, and replace them with moderates. Solve the problem of Saudi barbarism.
Sounds like Viet Nam, Iraq and now Afghanistan. Regime change. When will people ever learn?
Intervening in another Middle Eastern country? C-R-A-Z-Y.
No, no. Let the Iranians handle it. Riyadh would fall in 48 hours to Iranian Forces.
Iran has no interest in invading Saudi Arabia. Neither does that country have the logistical means to do so. Neither would a Shia State invading a Sunni State result in anything other than carnage.
C-R-A-Z-Y.
Iran doesnt have the logistical means to invade SA?? They can use Yemen, Syria and iraq as staging areas for there own land forces and create 4 channels of attack on Saudi Arabia from land air and sea. This is why Syria is so important for the Saudis. Once the Syria war comes to an end. a full Shiite Crescent will hover over Saudi Arabia. SA also has a Shiite population of 20%, the majority living in the oil rich south. Of course all of this is based on a hypothetical US deal with Iran which has zero chance of taking place.
You don’t know much about logistics do you? Multiple axis of attack INCREASES logistical problems. And risks defeat in detail.
You warmongers are very much alike. 48 hrs LOL.
Warmonger for the annihilation of those head chopping Wahhabists…you bet!!
Always an excuse. Evil communists, evil Christians, evil Jews, evil Moslems, evil Serbs, evil xxxxx. Many have some group/people they hate. Sometimes there is even a real reason or grievance. That is how it starts. But it doesn’t end there.
Tell you what: use your own money, and the lives of your family and go ahead catch a plane, ship or whatever. Leave me and mine out of it. Else, you are the oppressor. Using government force and propaganda to drum up another war.
Hmmm: evil warmongers? …….. Tempting, but no. I will not fall into that trap.
to not punish a crime is to condone it.
the us already accepts murder through torture.
This is is way too late. US has long crossed the Rubicon
not surprised nothing will happen. oh well. what’s next in the 24-hour news cycle? Corruption rollz on.
We bave crossed that Rubicon long time ago.
Saudis further assert that routine embassy document shredding “went wrong” and the body was cut up in the process.
Sounds about as plausible as “19 Arabs, armed with box cutters, led by a dude holed up in a cave in Afghanistan…”
This little debacle is going to ruin the Don and bin Salmon honeymoon… one would imagine. But enough money will fix almost anything… Still, the blushow is off their rose.
Seems legit
The Shia Crescent will be completed soon. The end is near for those head chopping Wahhabists.
It looks like this admission has got “the Trump stamp of approval”.
For that matter, the pre-Trump stamp of approval. I can think of at least one incident only a few years ago in which FBI agents killed someone during interrogation.
Exactly. An agreed upon narrative. For as long as se remember that Trump is doing favor to zealotic neocons, who would love to bash Saudis, but are afraid to. Israel needs one Iran bashing friend in the Middle East. And both are high maintenance. But Saudis want equal tratment — their naughty behaviors are to be explained away and justified. And in spite of all — Saudis will keep on doing their thing, getting Russian S-400 notwithstanding. Like India. Like Turkey.
Just like Saudis made an example of Kashoggi, neocons are itching to get MBS. Life for neocons was so simple under his predecesor, Nayaf. Neocons did not forget nor forgive his ousting, and wholesale purging of Nayaf elites via Ritz Carlton negotiations. Soooo. Will neocons eat this — and not risk losing Saudi Arabia as they did Turkey? Or will this be too much for their delicate stomachs, accepting equality of Israel and Saudi Arabia in brazen arrogance?
Why do I feel that zealots cannot do it? They cannot accept Saudi Arabia on equal terms with Israel. They will undermine Trump — it almost ceels too juicy to miss. But they will run into Saudi belligerence, many orders of magnitude more potent then expecfed. Pulling back will require neocons to defer to Trump, and his deals with Saudis. Just before midterm elections — positions will be taken, then in the aftermath adjusted. Befkre and after — Saudi moves will be worth watching.
Isn’t the monologue on Antiwars site begging for money saying they need it to counter the MSM narrative? Why is your so called journalist quoting a CNN MSM narrative if, what you’re doing is supposedly reporting what doesn’t get reported but,yet CNN is the source for this story? Antiwar people do you understand you’re being hoodwinked. The stories on this site get reported on daily just without the America is evil narrative.Anyone on this site can do what Antiwar has done . Setup a sight domain, apply and operate as a non-profit, and find someone that has no life and can surf the web for stories and re-write them as there own. If you do all these things you to can have your very own Antiwar or SupportOrBrave website. Why comment on this site when you can have your own?
Another new ID?
Q: Yes, why ARE you commenting on this site when you can have your own?
A: Trolling is its own reward.
You just explained the reason for Antiwar. And contrary to your assertion, this is definjtely not America haters site. Quite to the contrary, this site provides information that any sane person needs fhese days. But bas no time to data mine accross the net. Somebody has to have no life in order to scour through the garbage of mainstream and “alternate” sources funded by the same interests.
You are so missing the importance of CNN “breaking” the story. This is going to be the consensus narrative between Saudis and US establishment. Saudis did this on purpose to cause mega indigestion in Washington and Israel. There have been too many casual barbs thrown at the Kingdom, suggesting they are our servants. This was an answer, a poke in the eye to Trump administration, and more importantly neocons. Trump did them a favor by having potty mouth. .Contrary to popular notion that MBS is weakened, he is the master of situation today. A story is being readied, CNN is to float it, “investigation” is to follow, and arms sales not in danger. Neocon establishment now firmly in control of democrats, will try to calpitalize, making it anti-Trump issue for election. Brennan already came with the narrative in WaPo. I am not saying that a major effort will not be mounted by zealotic branch of neocons to undercut — or worse — the Crown Prince. He was suspect from day one, and blamed for all the evil things we ordered his predecessor to do. It was so over the top, neocon signature. Let us now see the aftermath. Trump will try to save neocons from themselves, and in turn they will bash him with the lack of humanity and respect for “values”. They think this will sell at election time. Electorate pays no attention, while knowing pretty well how Israel values Saudi committment to Iran bashing. Because the bashing is bi-partisan. Love of Saudi and Israeli human rights record — bi-partisan. Our mainstream has done great job on cognitive restructuring when it comes to Israel behavior, and now itvwill have to do the same for Saudi.
But this one will be hard. Saudis clearly want the same treatment as Israel. They will continue being brazen and go after anyone they please. And we will have to eat it. Why not? These are our two last friends in the Middle East.
Thank you Antiwar.
It sounded like Turkey has surveillance footage of the killing, but doesn’t want to burn their source. After all, given the ethical standards of the Saudis, you never know what fascinating activities the Turks might be able to film next.
The Saudis don’t have much choice but to fess up, or Turkey might release the footage to the networks, who would eat it up. While America values the press little, being allied to a country that tortures our journalists to death might be more than we can stomach. If the US and world press has any ability to check executive power, they will do so now. No journalist wants to be next to suffer this guy’s fate, or to pass up such a juicy story.
We’re looking at a series of events that might well end with the heads of Saudi royals literally rolling across palace floors.
Mr.Knapp I’m trying to respond to your comment but,when I complete the I’m not a robot process it doesn’t allow me to comment. When I restarted my device to see if that was the issue and went back on Antiwar I saw a cut and paste like a Microsoft word software on the very top of the screen. Did you not allow me to respond to your comment or is this a problem with the Disqus monitoring? Can you please contact the Disqus Monitors and see what’s going on?
It sounds like a problem with your computer. It’s not any policy change at Antiwar.com. If the problem is with Disqus, here’s their support link (I doubt they have “monitors”).
As Churchill said as the Iron Curtain descended over Eastern Europe, “We killed the wrong pig.” Compared to the Saudis, the Iranians are moderates.
How about letting our erstwhile allies, the EU handle this one. Israel, our supposed wonderful Western-style democracy and beacon for the Middle East, has uttered a peep over this?
Israel, along with the U.S, is in league with the Saudis.
My last comment was scrubbed. S.M.H.
You are truly a shape shifter, Uncle Samuel. Are you even human, or are you a bot?
Maybe the Saudis changed tactics because they remembered Trump’s sickening stance on torture. The Donald might understand a little torture that “went wrong”.
I can comment I just can’t reply I guess.
You can do it all. You just don’t want to do it badly enough to establish and use a Disqus account. Which is fine if that’s how you want it, but not anything worth complaining about. Or at least not anything worth others sympathizing with your complaints about. It’s like whining that the car won’t start because you refuse to put the key in the ignition.
Yes, poor lad died while gently being prodded by 15 agents of the secret police and King’s guards who had been flown in on 2 Gulfstreams for just this occasion. Then, his body was cut up and disappeared because … well, it was all just embarrassing, you see …
Hmm… Sounds a lot like what the CIA does on a regular basis, only they don’t get caught and it doesn’t get reported in the MSM. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy…
Here is one Achilles Heel of the “rogue killer” story. It is known that the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul or else the Saudi Embassy in Ankara informed Mr. Khashoggi that the papers he had requested would be ready for pick-up on 2 October 2018 at the Consulate in Istanbul. Who informed the “rogue killers” that Mr. Khashoggi would be in the Saudi Consulate of Istanbul on that day?
Hillary Clinton?
It must have been the Russians.
Jamal Khashoggi was killed in their hall
Mohammad bin Salman had a great fall,
All the King’s spies and all the King’s men
Can’t put the corpse together again.
Secretary Pompeo knows exactly what Khashoggi’s residence status in our country was. From what I have read and heard Khashoggi was almost certainly a so-called “green carder” (the newer cards are no longer green though) (1). There can be no doubt that Khashoggi took his green card on the trip to Turkey. I have no doubt that he took that card with him into the Saudi consulate. If he died in the Saudi consulate the first statement Pompeo must make to the Crown Price is: “the United States of America demands that his green card is returned. Would you be so kind to hand it to me?”
No, this is not a joke. This is what Pompeo must demand. Status cards of US residence must not be floating about.
Trump as always has not the slightest clue.
(1) It is very unlikely that he was a conditional permanent resident. He must have had a document which defined his status in the USA.
Hey, it happens.
from the files: Manadel al-Jamadi (Arabic: مناضل الجمادي ) was a suspected terrorist who was tortured to death in United States custody during Central Intelligence Agency interrogation at Abu Ghraib Prison on 4 November 2003.
It was US policy to torture prisoners, some of whom died. Then Obama got into office and outlawed CIA prisons, so they went directly to killing “suspected terrorists” and anyone around them usually by drone-fired rockets.
Efficiency?
In every “who dun-it” interrogation the interrogators and the interrogated are siting on chairs. Sometimes around a table. No one ever dies.
When an interrogation “goes wrong” and the interrogated person dies there can be only one explanation: torture was used. Perhaps waterboarding?
In plain English, “tortured to death.” The Saudi hit team brought a bone saw with them.
I thought the Trump[ Administration coupled up the evangelicals would want to change course and go back to more moral decency . Trump can’t downplay a cold blooded murder and still claim this makes America great again . Look what we did to the Russians over a attempted murder with no evidence the Russian government was behind it at all .
“Trump can’t downplay a cold blooded murder and still claim this makes America great again”
He downplayed the cold blooded murder of an 8-year-old American girl by his own troops and never missed a beat.
Whats with the $100,000,000 the Saudis just transferred to the US? What is that money for?? AHA!! Its for Syria!! https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/saudi-arabia-transfers-100-million-to-us-amid-crisis-over-khashoggi/2018/10/17/22b23ae1-c6a4-43a4-9b7d-ce04603fa6ab_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e8c4e8ab2d68