Jamal Khashoggi

[L'Emmerdeur]

If we snub them they'll go and spend all that lovely oil money on tanks and fighter jets from China or Russia instead and move their investment portfolios to the Asian markets.

That's Trump's line. It's not so easy to completely abandon entire weapons systems, including cross-platform integration, and switch to something that won't work with anything in your current inventory. As is standard with Il Douche, most of what he said is untruthful.

On the other hand, Trump doesn't want to lose all the Saudi money that comes to him personally.

[Scot Dutchy]

Who thinks Trump will do anything? Really be honest. He will do FUCK ALL.

[L'Emmerdeur]

'The prince will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Yaʻqub.'

[JimC]

Plausible deniability?

The Saudis had good teachers, of course...

[Brian Peacock]

I think people are being a bit hard on Trump here. Look, Saudi and Turkey are obviously shithole countries by any reasonable measure, and I don't see why the President of the United States is supposed to have an opinion on everything they get up to - there's just not enough hours in the day for that - but the #FAKENEWS media will keep asking him about that kind of shit and then get all faux OUTRAGED when he doesn't give them answers to their biased leading questions. It's all a manufactured nonsense. Still, he was doorstepped in the rain and said he didn't know who'd done it and that it might have been rogue killers. Given that he doesn't know what happened it's reasonable to think it's just as likely to be rogue killers as anybody else - and besides, King Saudi said he didn't know either so this is all a storm in a teacup. People die every day all over the world and it's ridiculous to expect the President of the United States to take an individual interest in each case. That's one thing you lefties don't get - not giving a fucking shit about a military theocracy possibly killing a journalist working for a failing #FAKENEWS media outlet doesn't mean you're a bad person.

[JimC]

[Seabass]

Is this "Judeo-Christian values", or "compassionate conservatism"? Sometimes I get the two confused.

[Seabass]

Here is his last WaPo column. I am confident that Trump—stalwart champion of the free press and of freedom of expression—will do everything in his power to ensure that the Saudi regime pays a steep penalty for the brutal torture and murder of this journalist.

Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... story.html

[Brian Peacock]

I see they've published it in Arabic as well.

[laklak]

Don't be a Saudi, that's my very best advice.

[Seabass]

Trumpublicans are sliming Khashoggi now because of course they are.

Conservatives mount a whisper campaign smearing Khashoggi in defense of Trump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpos ... story.html

[laklak]

So, they admit he died, but it's his own fault. He started a fist fight in the embassy.

You know, I bet he just started punching himself in the head. Over and over again. They tried to stop him, honest, but he was like a wild animal. So they brought in a doctor, who had to amputate his everything in an attempt to save him.

[Sean Hayden]

It doesn't matter. You're arguing against the military and intelligence communities, and it'll be the....not even going to say it again...





...lesser of two evils all the way down. I mean what are they going to do? Jeopardize god only knows what they've got going on by pissing off the Saudis? Who knows how far in this rabbit hole we are together, and what the Saudis really have they can hang over our heads.

I don't even want to know.

[Scot Dutchy]

Th real truth:

Trump says 'we have a tremendous order' with Saudi Arabia, doesn't want to cancel defense contracts 'as retribution' for Jamal Khashoggi's death

Saudi Arabia admitted that missing Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi died inside the Saudi Consulate after an encounter with Saudi operatives there "led to a quarrel and a physical confrontation."

President Donald Trump said he approves of Saudi Arabia's acknowledgement and called it "a great first step." An official statement from White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders echoed the same while offering condolences to Khashoggi's family.

Trump claimed that US jobs that could be created as a result of defense contracts with Saudi Arabia would be threatened if he took action against the Kingdom. Trump has earned some rebuke for appearing to give deference to the Saudis.

[Sean Hayden]

I wonder how this affects voting. I know I don't feel like voting...