President Donald Trump really wants us to believe that there’s nothing to worry about in the case of the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi despite the metaphorical giant blinking red warning lights.
Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned to the United States from a fact finding mission overseas that quickly turned into something other than “fact finding.” Like his boss, Pompeo gave wide room to the Saudis’ claims they have nothing to do with the disappearance of a prominent journalist inside their consulate, pictured grinning widely alongside their leadership.
After meeting with the president upon his return home, Pompeo told journalists gathered outside the White House:
‘They made clear to me that they too understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi. They also assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr. Khashoggi and that they will do so in a timely fashion. This respect will be transparent for everyone to see, ask questions about, and inquire with respect to its thoroughness.’
.@StateDept @SecPompeo outside of the West Wing after our meeting this morning in the Oval Office… pic.twitter.com/4GrmMdOhS1
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2018
He added an assertion, which he said he relayed to Trump, that the Saudis should be given a few more days for their investigation into whether they committed murder — because that makes sense by some stretch of the imagination, apparently.
Neither Pompeo nor Trump seem at all concerned with exerting pressure on the Saudis over the disappearance and credibly alleged brutal murder of a prominent dissident journalist inside one of their own government buildings.
Pompeo pretty much made as much clear in some of his remarks offered before reporters, asserting that the decades long U.S. relationship with the Saudis should be protected. President Trump himself had previously indicated similar sentiments, backing up from the idea of sanctioning the Saudis over the allegations thanks to the arms deal with the kingdom he signed during his first trip overseas as president.
This lax attitude flies in the face of reports ranging from anonymous U.S. officials’ assertions that the Saudis have lied to Turkish officials’ assertions they have evidence Khashoggi was tortured and murdered in the Saudi consulate. Turkish investigators have been examining the situation for days now, and the highest rungs of Saudi leadership, including those Pompeo and Trump have palled around with, have found themselves increasingly unable to escape implication.
But hey, arms deals, right?
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
