Jump to content
IGNORED

Saudis/MBS/Khashoggi/Yemen/Kushner


Howl

Recommended Posts

He's speaking Arabic, but just watch, and wait for it...

:tw_cat:

  • Thank You 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"9 key questions Saudi Arabia hasn’t answered about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi"

Spoiler

Saudi Arabia offered an explanation early Saturday for what had happened to journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, 17 days after he went missing at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

But even though the kingdom finally confirmed that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate, as Turkish officials had alleged, the Saudi account of how that happened conflicts with information from other sources, and key details appear to be missing.

Below are nine questions that the Saudi kingdom still needs to answer.

1. Was Khashoggi really considering a return to Saudi Arabia?

The Saudi statement said that the “suspects” in Khashoggi’s killing had traveled to Turkey to meet with the journalist as he had suggested he was interesting in returning home. However, Khashoggi had traveled to the consulate with his fiancee, Turkish national Hatice Cengiz, who has said that her partner was seeking a document from the Saudi government that would allow them to wed.

Khashoggi himself had told friends that he was suspicious of attempts to lure him back to the kingdom. “He said: ‘Are you kidding? I don’t trust them one bit,’ ” after one such attempt, Khaled Saffuri, an Arab American political activist, recounting to The Washington Post.

2. If this was just a discussion, why did at least 15 men travel to Istanbul for the meeting?

The Saudi government account suggests that at the start, the discussion with Khashoggi inside the event began as a discussion but soon turned negative and developed into a “a fight and a quarrel between some of [the suspects] and the citizen."

However, Saudi Arabia says it has detained a total of 18 people for their involvement in Khashoggi’s death, and the Turkish government has linked 15 people, Saudi citizens who had arrived at the consulate shortly before the journalist disappeared and who left hours later, to Khashoggi.

It is not clear why such a big group of people would be needed for a discussion about a willing return to Saudi Arabia.

3. Why did this Saudi group include a forensic expert and members of security forces?

Again, if this was a simple discussion, it would seem unnecessary to send members of the Saudi security services. However, The Post has found that at least 12 members of the alleged hit team identified by Turkish authorities had some kind of link to the kingdom’s security services.

One of the suspects, Salah Muhammed al-Tubaigy, was a forensic expert known for pioneering rapid and mobile autopsies. Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official and Brookings Institution fellow who has written a book about Saudi-U.S. relations, said this stuck out to him.

“I can’t think of an alternative of why you would need a forensics expert unless you were covering up evidence of a crime,” Riedel told The Post.

The Saudi statement also did not explain why the suspects may have brought a bone saw into Turkey, as some reports have suggested. The Washington Post has not been able to confirm this detail.

4. What actually happened inside the consulate?

The Saudi account describes “a fight or a quarrel” in the consulate — a wording that implies a physical dispute between two sides. However, Khashoggi had entered the facility on his own and was apparently meeting a team of 15 men, suggesting at least that the two sides were not equal.

Turkish officials are believed to have played to CIA counterparts an audio recording that was made inside the consulate that could shed some light on what happened. The recording could provide key clues into what happened to Khashoggi — including whether his death was intentional or whether he was tortured.

5. What happened to Khashoggi’s body?

Even though Saudi Arabia now admits that the journalist died inside the consulate, its statement Saturday did not reveal what happened to the body. Early speculation suggested that Khashoggi’s body parts may have been taken out of the country, although Turkish authorities recently searched rural areas near Istanbul. A Saudi source told Reuters on Friday that the whereabouts of Khashoggi’s body were unclear after it was handed over to a “local cooperator.”

6. Why did Saudi Arabia say he had left the consulate when he had not?

When Khashoggi didn’t return from the consulate, his partner, Cengiz, who was waiting outside, raised the alarm. However, Saudi officials repeatedly told reporters that the journalist had left the consulate by a back entrance shortly after he arrived and that they too were concerned about his fate.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman repeated this line in an interview with Bloomberg News on Oct. 5. “My understanding is he entered and he got out after a few minutes or one hour,” the Saudi royal said. “I’m not sure. We are investigating this through the Foreign Ministry to see exactly what happened at that time.”

7. How could the crown prince not have known?

The Saudi account makes not suggestion that the crown prince knew about what had happened to Khashoggi. Indeed, he has been tapped by his father, King Salman, to lead a commission that is designed to review and “modernize” the kingdom’s intelligence operations after the death of the journalist.

The 33-year-old Mohammed is widely considered the real power in Saudi Arabia, however, and he has led the drive to modernize the country. Some experts also say that he is behind a clampdown on free speech. “This never would have happened without MBS’s approval. Never, never, never,” a former senior U.S. diplomat told The Post shortly after Khashoggi disappeared.

Saud al-Qahtani, an adviser to the crown prince, was among those fired Saturday. He had previously been behind attempts to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia, according to U.S. officials. After the kingdom’s announcement on Saturday, a message he had written on Twitter last year was shared widely on social media.

“Do you think I can act by myself without taking orders/guidance?” Qahtani’s message had read. “I am an employee and a trustworthy executive to the orders of the king and the crown prince.”

8. Are the men detained by Saudi Arabia actually the same men that were identified by Turkish authorities?

The Saudi government said that 18 people had been arrested. It was unclear, however, whether these people were the same 15 suspects who had been identified by Turkish authorities. A report on the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya news channel had previously said that the 15 were “tourists” who had been falsely accused.

9. Why did it take 17 days to come up with this account?

More than two weeks have passed since Khashoggi disappeared. Whatever the answers to the rest of the questions on this list, it is remarkable that it took so long for the kingdom to reveal that Khashoggi had died — and that when Riyadh finally admitted culpability in his death, it did so with a story that will convince few of its critics.

Thomas Juneau, an expert on Saudi Arabia at the University of Ottawa, wrote on Twitter that the situation had exposed the “weakness of Saudi administrative capacity” and that there was “a general impression things were botched."

 

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rufus Reindeer!

New bombshell in Jamal Khashoggi murder links Crown Prince

Quote

BOMBSHELL new allegations linking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi have been published by a Turkish newspaper.

The report by pro-Government daily Yeni Safak alleges the Crown Prince telephoned the Washington Post columnist moments before he was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. While the claim has not been verified by officials in public, Turkish authorities have consistently leaked details of the investigation to pro-government media outlets and their reports have been largely accurate.

“Khashoggi was detained by the Saudi team inside the consulate building. Then Prince Mohammed contacted Khashoggi by phone and tried to convince him to return to Riyadh,” the report alleges. “Khashoggi refused Prince Mohammed’s offer out of fear he would be arrested and killed if he returned. The assassination team then killed Khashoggi after the conversation ended.”

Turkish authorities believe Khashoggi’s killers held him down while his fingers were hacked off and then injected him with a lethal drug before carrying him into another room where he was hoisted onto a conference table and dismembered.

Investigators hunting for Khashoggi’s body have tracked two Saudi Arabian consulate vehicles to separate locations outside the city centre. One vehicle visited the Belgrad Forest, a large forest area on the outskirts of Istanbul, while the other vehicle went to the city of Yalova, an hour’s drive from the consulate. Both areas are currently being searched for Khashoggi’s remains.

There has been speculation Khashoggi was murdered because of his open criticism of the Crown Prince but Saudi authorities insist the royal played no part in his death.

Turkish police have named 15 men, including several of Prince Mohammed’s personal employees and an Australia-trained, bone-saw wielding Saudi pathologist, who allegedly made up a “hit squad” to kill Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, a US resident, entered the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents that would clear the way for his impending marriage to fiancee Hatice Cengiz but never emerged. As suspicion over his disappearance grew, Saudi authorities offered up a variety of bizarre explanations, beginning with an assertion that he had left the consulate unharmed. But after a Turkish media report claiming Khashoggi’s Apple Watch may have captured gruesome audio of him being tortured, drugged, killed and later dismembered, the Saudi government finally admitted the journalist was dead.

However, the new narrative — that Khashoggi was accidentally strangled after a brawl erupted between him and officials inside the consulate — was greeted with scepticism and condemnation from the international community. On Sunday, the Saudis claimed the initial plan was to kidnap Khashoggi and try and persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia but to release him unharmed if he refused.

Yesterday’s report in Yeni Safak citing allegations by Turkish government sources that the Crown Prince personally phoned Khashoggi moments before his murder contradict Saudi claims he had no knowledge of the assassination plot.

Three days after the journalist vanished, Prince Mohammed told Bloomberg that Khashoggi was not inside the consulate, adding “we are ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises”.

The kingdom has fired five top officials and arrested 18 others in an investigation into the killing — a move that has widely been viewed as an attempt to cover up the Crown Prince’s role in the murder.

Several senior members of US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party said they believed Prince Mohammed was linked to the killing, and one called for a “collective” Western response if a link is proved. “Obviously there’s been deception and there’s been lies,” Mr Trump said on the shifting accounts offered by Riyadh.

Turkish President Recap Tayyip Erdogan has announced he will “go into detail” about the Khashoggi investigation, including what authorities know about the 15-member “hit squad”, in a special parliamentary address on Tuesday. “Why did these 15 people come here? Why were 18 people arrested? All of this needs to be explained in all its details,” President Erdogan said on Sunday.

US congressional leaders said the Gulf kingdom should face severe consequences for Khashoggi’s murder.

Meanwhile, Istanbul’s chief prosecutor summoned 28 more staff members of the Saudi consulate, including Turkish citizens and foreign nationals, to give testimony on Monday, Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported. Prosecutors have previously questioned consulate staff; some Turkish employees reportedly said they were instructed not to go to work around the time that Khashoggi disappeared.

Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency reported Sunday that Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, has been given 24-hour police protection.

Britain, Germany and France issued a joint statement condemning the killing of Khashoggi, saying there is an “urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened”. In a statement Sunday, the governments said attacks on journalists were unacceptable and “of utmost concern to our three nations”. They said the “hypotheses” proposed so far in the Saudi investigation need to be backed by facts to be considered credible. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin on Sunday that she supports a freeze on arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

 

  • WTF 1
  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oops, I accidentally had your father tortured and murdered. So sorry!

Saudi Arabia says crown prince called Jamal Khashoggi's son to express condolences

Quote

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the son of Jamal Khashoggi, the kingdom announced early Monday, to express condolences for the death of the journalist killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by officials that allegedly included at least one member of the royal's own entourage.

King Salman similarly made a condolence call as international pressure on the kingdom continues to rise, even after it acknowledged on Saturday that the Washington Post journalist was killed Oct. 2 at the consulate under still-disputed circumstances.

Saudi royals call Khashoggi's son

The state-run Saudi Press Agency announced the calls to Khashoggi's son, Salah, early Monday morning. Statements from the agency said both King Salman and Prince Mohammed express their condolences for his father's death.

A Saudi friend of Khashoggi who was in frequent touch with him before his death told The Associated Press that Khashoggi's son, Salah, has been under a travel ban and barred from leaving the kingdom since last year as a result of his father's criticism of the government. The friend spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussion. The Saudi statements did not acknowledge the ban.

The calls comes after a leaked photograph apparently taken from surveillance footage shows Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage on trips to the United States, France and Spain this year, at the consulate, just ahead of Khashoggi's arrival. Mutreb's name also matches that of a first secretary who once served as a diplomat at the Saudi Embassy in London, according to a 2007 list compiled by the British Foreign Office.

Saudi Arabia so far has not acknowledged or explained Mutreb's presence in Istanbul -- nor that of a forensics and autopsy expert, also on hand for Khashoggi's arrival at the consulate.

Meanwhile, a Turkish newspaper with close ties to Turkey's leader, Yeni Safak, claimed on Monday that Mutreb had called the crown prince's personal secretary four times on his cell phone from the Saudi Consul General's office in Istanbul immediately after Khashoggi was killed.  

Turkey's evidence "will be revealed"

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that details of Khashoggi's killing "will be revealed in all its nakedness" in a speech in parliament on Tuesday, the same day a glitzy investment forum in Riyadh spearheaded by Prince Mohammed is to take place.

Saudi Arabia's explanation that Khashoggi was killed in a "fistfight" and 18 Saudis have been detained has been met with international skepticism and allegations of a cover-up designed to absolve Prince Mohammed of direct responsibility. Turkish media reports and officials say a 15-member Saudi team flew to Istanbul, laid in wait for Khashoggi at the consulate and then cut off his fingers, killed and dismembered the 59-year-old writer.

"Why did these 15 people come here? Why were 18 people arrested? All of this needs to be explained in all its details," Erdogan said.

U.S. officials have been piling increasing pressure on Turkey to share purportedly damning evidence it has that Khashoggi was in fact brutally murdered. Specifically, anonymous Turkish officials have been touting an alleged audio recording of the killing to journalists since soon after Khashoggi vanished, but there has been no proof thus far that any such audio even exists.

Istanbul's chief prosecutor summoned 28 more staff members of the Saudi Consulate, including Turkish citizens and foreign nationals, to give testimony on Monday, Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported. Prosecutors have previously questioned consulate staff; some Turkish employees reportedly said they were instructed not to go to work around the time that Khashoggi disappeared.

Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency reported Sunday that Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, has been given 24-hour police protection.

Also Sunday, images that were obtained by TRT World, a Turkish news channel that broadcasts in English, showed Khashoggi as he arrived at a police barrier before entering the consulate on Oct. 2. The images, taken from security camera video, show the writer being searched before continuing toward the building.

Congress and Trump react to "rogue operation" claim

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Fox News that Khashoggi's killing was "a rogue operation" and that "we don't know where the body is.'"

"The individuals who did this did this outside the scope of their authority," he said. "There obviously was a tremendous mistake made and what compounded the mistake­ was the attempt to try to cover up. That is unacceptable to the government."

CBS News chief White House correspondent Major Garrett says President Trump has appeared thus far willing to believe the Saudis' assertions that it wasn't murder, that the crown prince himself knew nothing, and that the Saudis can conduct a credible investigation into a death they have been forced to admit came at their hands.

However, a leading U.S. Senate Republican said the Saudi explanation, which followed initial denials from the kingdom that it knew anything about Khashoggi's fate, wasn't credible.

Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Saturday on CNN's "State of the Union" that he believed Prince Mohammed, the heir-apparent of the world's largest oil exporter, was behind the killing.

The crown prince has "now crossed a line and there has to be a punishment and a price paid for that," Corker said. He also urged Turkey to turn over the purported audio recordings of Khashoggi's killing inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The existence of such evidence has been reported in Turkish media in a series of leaks, though Turkish officials have yet to confirm they have recordings.

"The Turks have been talking more to the media than they have (to) us," Corker said of the NATO ally.

California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said on ABC's "This Week" that the killing should be a "relationship-altering" event for the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, which has said it will retaliate against any economic sanctions or other moves against it.

"We ought to suspend military sales, we ought to suspend certain security assistance and we ought to impose sanctions on any of those that were directly involved in this murder," Schiff said.

President Trump had also talked about possible punishment but said he didn't want to halt a proposed $110 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia because, he maintained, it would harm U.S. manufacturers. He initially said he believed the Saudi account, and speaking this weekend the president praised the crown prince's "very good control" of the kingdom, but acknowledged "there's been lies" with the Saudis' shifting explanations.

Mr. Trump said he needs to learn more about the killing and would be working with Congress on the U.S. response. He also said he would talk soon to Prince Mohammed.

European nations demand "clarification"

Britain, Germany and France issued a joint statement condemning the killing of Khashoggi, saying there is an "urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened."

In a statement Sunday, the governments said attacks on journalists are unacceptable and "of utmost concern to our three nations." They said the "hypotheses" proposed so far in the Saudi investigation need to be backed by facts to be considered credible.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin on Sunday that she supports a freeze on arms exports to Saudi Arabia. German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier underlined that point Monday, calling for a joint European position as Germany "won't at this point approve any further arms exports because we want to know what happened."

 

Edited by fraurosena
  • Upvote 1
  • WTF 2
  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Khoshoggi body double on the Saudi hit squad has been identified and footage of him leaving the Saudi consulate in Istanbul WEARING KHOSHOGGI's CLOTHES has been released.  He is remarkably similar in age, height and build and was wearing a fake beard. One giveaway is that he still had on the same shoes he was wearing when he originally arrived in Turkey. 

So glad the Saudi's are getting a double dose of hard core investigation from both police and American and Turkish journalists. 

Surveillance footage shows Saudi operative in Khashoggi's clothes after he was killed, Turkish source says

Edited by Howl
  • WTF 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How sick do you have to be to wear the clothes of someone you just murdered?

Also, how are the Saudi's going to explain this away? I mean, taking along a bone saw is pretty difficult as is, but bringing a fake beard in order to be able to impersonate a journalist who is just coming in to get some paperwork for his marriage? 

This would be comically absurd if it weren't so horrific.

  • Upvote 1
  • I Agree 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sweet Rufus. You can't make this stuff up.

 

  • WTF 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is she going there to assess what to do with the info the Turks have? Or is she really out to find the truth of the matter?

Somehow I don't think it's the latter.

CIA director flies to Turkey amid growing controversy over Jamal Khashoggi killing

Quote

CIA Director Gina Haspel departed for Turkey on Monday amid a growing international uproar over Saudi Arabia’s explanation of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to people familiar with the matter.

The visit by the U.S. spy chief comes as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a speech planned for early Tuesday vows to reveal the full extent of what his aides are calling a Saudi-directed murder and attempted coverup.

The arrival of the director suggests an effort by the U.S. intelligence community to assess the information the Turks have, including what Turkish officials have said is audio that captures the killing. Intelligence officials are increasingly skeptical of the Saudi account and have warned President Trump that the idea that rogue operators flew to Istanbul and killed Khashoggi without the knowledge or consent of Saudi leaders is dubious, a White House official said.

On Monday, Trump told reporters that “I am not satisfied with what I’ve heard” from Saudi Arabia and pledged to get to the bottom of what happened.

“We have top intelligence people in Turkey. We’re going to see what we have. I'll know a lot tomorrow,” he said. “They'll be coming back either tonight or tomorrow morning. But we have people in Saudi Arabia and in Turkey.”

A CIA spokeswoman declined to comment. Other officials spoke about the director’s travels on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the trip.

The chief concern for Washington is that Erdogan will reveal details about Khashoggi’s killing that implicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, who has been a key ally for the Trump administration.

On Saturday, the Saudi government acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents after he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The 33-year-old prince has denied any knowledge of the killing and his top diplomat, Adel al-Jubeir, called it a tragic “rogue operation” by a group of people acting outside Mohammed’s consent.

A U.S. official who has not heard the audio that purportedly captures the killing but is familiar with its contents said it does not corroborate Saudi Arabia’s version of events that Khashoggi’s death was the result of a fistfight.

Turkish investigators concluded days ago that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by a Saudi team dispatched to Istanbul.

At least 12 members of the Saudi team are connected to Saudi security services, and several have links to Mohammed, according to a review of passport records, social media, local media reports and other material.

 

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I definitely considered the irony of dispatching Gina "Waterboard" Haskell to Turkey. In my mind, I actually said, WTF?  And why is Pompeo not going? 

I suspect the MBS people are flailing about because this never happens.  In their prior experience, they do what they do and totally control the narrative.  Now?   Their efforts to give cover to MBS have completely failed and they are having problems looking bad both inside and outside the kingdom. 

Article in the paper today discussed Erdogan using this as an opportunity to elevate Turkey as the primary stabilizing force in the region. 

Edited by Howl
  • Upvote 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure if this news has been confirmed, but Sky sources are saying that Jamal Khashoggi's body parts have been found

Quote

Body parts belonging to murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi have been found, according to two Sky sources.

The sources have told Sky News the writer had been "cut up" and his face "disfigured".

One source also suggested Mr Khashoggi's remains were discovered in the garden of the Saudi consul general's home - situated around 500 metres away from the consulate.

It puts paid to the explanation being put about by Saudi officials that the body was rolled up in a carpet and handed to a local collaborator who was tasked with disposing of the evidence.

It comes after Turkey's president earlier said Mr Khashoggi's body had not been found and demanded Saudi officials reveal its whereabouts.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had promised the "naked truth" about the killing, said: "Why has the body of someone who was officially said to be killed not been found yet?"

The Turkish president called on Saudi Arabia to hold those responsible to account in a dramatic speech to Parliament.

He described the journalist's killing as 'murder' - the first time this accusation has been made by a named Turkish politician - and he went further, saying the killing was premeditated and planned days before.

There was also no mention of an alleged audio recording that the Turkish authorities claim to have of Mr Khashoggi's death that supposedly confirms he was tortured, killed, had his fingers cut off and was dismembered.

Turkish political analysts believe the Saudis would prefer to perpetuate reports that the body was not disfigured or cut up to avoid more uncomfortable questions and explanations about how the body came to be defiled.

The apparent discovery of Mr Khashoggi's body parts - and Mr Erdogan's version of events based on what he described as "new evidence and information" - both contradict Saudi Arabia's explanation for his death.

It has said Mr Khashoggi died in a "fist fight" at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

Mr Khashoggi was a known critic of the Saudi government and the country's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

he Turkish president did not mention the crown prince in his speech, though officials linked to the royal have been implicated in the killing.

Saudi Arabia has said the heir-apparent of the world's top oil exporter was not involved, but any major decision must be signed off by the highest powers within its ruling Al Saud family.

Mr Erdogan said Riyadh's suggestion it was a rogue operation "will not satisfy us" and said there should be no diplomatic immunity for his killers.

He said 18 people had been arrested - three from the consulate and a further 15 who are believed to be part of a hit squad who flew to Istanbul to carry out the killing - and they should all stand trial in Istanbul.

"To blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community," Mr Erdogan said in an address to the Turkish parliament.

"Saudi Arabia has taken an important step by admitting the murder.

"As of now we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible - from the highest ranked to the lowest - and to bring them to justice."

"President Erdogan's statement this morning underscores the fact there remain questions which only the Saudis have the answers to," Prime Minster Theresa May's spokesman said.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted he was "deeply concerned" to hear Mr Erdogan describe the Saudi dissident's murder as premeditated.

"The world is still waiting for answers," he wrote.

 

  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, and remember that this done by the state apparatus of the KSA.  Tip of the iceberg, IMO. 

  • Upvote 2
  • I Agree 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

:pb_sad:

I was going to comment on the post further back about the Saudi Royals calling Khashoggi's son to"offer their condolences" and now this article. It's obvious that they Saudis are making sure that Khashoggi's family (and all others who might be thinking of criticizing their power,) get the message that they (the Royals) are the ones with the power.  Khashoggi son is being told in not so many words that they know who he is, where he is, and that he needs to dance when they tell him to dance-or else.   I feel so sorry for this guy being made to shake hands for the photo op, but I don't think he had much choice.  These people are ruthless.

Erdogan and his henchmen are not much better, so it's a bit ironic that, at least so far, they don't appear to be the perpetrators of this particular atrocity.

  • Upvote 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Note the empathy emanating from the presidunce...

"It was a very bad original concept"

Original concept? What does that even mean? 

And notice how he's stating that somebody messed up the cover-up.

  • Upvote 1
  • Disgust 6
  • Confused 1
  • WTF 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just read something that indicated that Khashoggi also has (adult?) children living in the US.  He had 4 children with his first wife, and was subsequently married and divorced two more times.  So, divorced three times and the Turkish fiance would have been wife #4. The Wiki did not indicate that he had children with his other two wives. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Read between the lines on the US response to this murder.  We'll deny visas to the perps!  There will be the strongest possible response!  There might even be *sanctions*!  All the while carefully NOT implicating MBS.  Or kicking out the Saudi ambassador. Or jeopardizing arms deals.  Or mentioning what the Saudis are doing in Yemen.

No report on Gina Haskell's visit to Turkey.  I'm sure she's seen and heard whatever video and audio exist.  

Turkish authorities have reported finding Khoshoggi's body parts in a well on the grounds of the Saudi consulate. 

 

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Saw-di Arabia's story changes yet AGAIN.

Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated, reversing earlier statement that the journalist had died in fistfight

Quote

Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said that Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a planned operation, based on information it received from Turkish investigators in Istanbul, according to a statement from the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry.

It is the latest reversal from Saudi authorities, who last week said Khashoggi was killed accidentally in a fistfight at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by “rogue” agents.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

 

  • Upvote 1
  • Disgust 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/23/2018 at 1:39 PM, PreciousPantsofDoom said:

, so it's a bit ironic that, at least so far, they don't appear to be the perpetrators of this particular atrocity.

Isn't this the damn truth. 

"Waterboard" Gina is set to brief Trump today. Trump is grumpy because this whole thing is making him look bad, and in what few functioning brain cells he has, what can be worse than that?  Plus, his rhetoric of hate has resulted in a pipe bomb campaign against those he's identified as enemies.  This is getting ready to *blow up* in his face.  

Interesting that Jared is staying low, down low.  This is so surprising! Isn't bringing peace to the Middle East the capstone of his WH portfolio? Isn't this his opportunity to shine as a brilliant diplomat?  Nikki Haley told us that Jared has secret brilliance!  Perhaps this is part of his brilliant diplomatic strategy! 

Edited by Howl
  • Upvote 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/23/2018 at 11:56 PM, fraurosena said:

Note the empathy emanating from the presidunce...

"It was a very bad original concept"

Original concept? What does that even mean? 

And notice how he's stating that somebody messed up the cover-up.

He's saying they shouldn't have gotten caught

  • Disgust 4
  • I Agree 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Turkey is threatening to attempt to extradite the hit team.  

Irony that Turkey, currently one of the most repressive and dangerous regimes for journalists,  is all het up over the murder of a *wait for it* journalist.  

  • I Agree 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Howl said:

Turkey is threatening to attempt to extradite the hit team.  

Irony that Turkey, currently one of the most repressive and dangerous regimes for journalists,  is all het up over the murder of a *wait for it* journalist.  

No idealistic reasons for sure. More probably it's Erdogan's get-out-of-tariffs-free card. 

  • Upvote 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.