Saudi Arabia’s Friday evening explanation of how they killed Jamal Khashoggi isn’t going over very well internationally, with claims that the 60-year-old journalist started a fistfight with 15 people seen as not particularly credible.
Realistically, the report had one job, and that was to give President Trump cover to avoid making any moves threatening Saudi arms sales. Even Trump, however, is increasingly forced to admit that there has been “deception and lies” in the Saudis’ treatment of the incident.
That said, President Trump is still definitely on board for not punishing Saudi Arabia, praising the crown prince as a “strong person,” and claiming no one has yet told him he’s responsible. Trump further speculated that the crown prince might’ve heard only after the hit team full of people with close ties to the crown prince had killed Khashoggi. Trump added “I would love if he wasn’t responsible.”
These leaves Saudi officials trying to roll the dice on anew explanation of the killing, with one official saying that the hit team of 15 people told Khashoggi he was going to be drugged and kidnapped, and then they choked him to death when he resisted.
This raises more questions, as the unnamed official says one of the kill team left in Khashoggi’s clothes to try to cover the matter up. The rest of the team rolled him up in a rug and gave him to a “local cooperator” to dispose of.
This narrative totally flies in the face of the report from Turkish media on the audio recording to Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment. It’s likely the Saudis hope they can find something short of the truth that will stick, though weeks into the affair the scandal seems certain to massively harm their international reputation.
Btw, who says cutting off arms sales should be the one and only response here? How about we first stop joining in on the Yemen catastrophe, stop running errands for them at the UN, and stop covering up their terrorist support all over the world? Sell them all the useless crap you want.
Yes, cutting of arms is not a bug problem. Saudis thought so too.
Turkey can write its wish list. Let’s see. Syria, Qatar, Iran.
The USA Today coverage has Trump applauding the same thing he gently condemns Saudi Arabia for: Their strength is such a strength that profits us so that no one should fault their strong position of doing whatever they feel like it takes to keep a strong hold on power. It’s dismissing murderous brutality as just having a stiff upper lip and necessary intestinal fortitude.
This weapon deal is so good that the crown prince can piss on Melania’s legs and Trump will blame it on bad weather.