Foreign Policy

Trump Confirms He’s Shielding Saudi Prince for Killing of WaPo Journalist

Written by SK Ashby

Trump was supposed to be briefed today on the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) conclusion that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, so how did that go?

Actually, their meeting hasn't taken place yet and it's immaterial in any case. We knew what Trump was going to say today before he even said it.

Trump released a rambling, nonsensical, petty, and embarrassing statement this afternoon confirming that he'll take no actions against the Saudi regime for torturing and murdering a permanent resident of the United States who has children who are American citizens.

"Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn't!" Trump said in the statement, which featured a subheading that read "America First!"

"That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi," he continued. "In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." [...]

rump, in the statement, which was titled, "Statement from President Donald J. Trump on Standing with Saudi Arabia," also repeats unsubstantiated smears against Khashoggi that have been perpetuated by the Saudi government, including that Khashoggi was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and spreads the Saudi government claim that Khashoggi was an “enemy of the state."

Trump has provided House Democrats with all the reasons in the world to take a deep dive into his finances and establish his family's financial connections to the Saudi government (and other foreign governments) for the public record.

Doing so is matter of national security, not political intrigue, as Trump is behaving like a foreign agent who is more concerned with protecting other nations than Americans.

Trump is the ultimate unregistered agent; a lobbyist for foreign regimes. Trump writes propaganda for foreign interests that is, in some cases, more audacious than even what those interests say.

You can read Trump's full statement here if you feel like losing your mind. I don't recommend it.