Trump gives Saudi Arabia benefit of doubt in journalist's disappearance

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi Arabia's crown prince denied knowing what happened in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul 

Because Trump said it we are supposed to believe it? To me the opposite now rings true!

Pompeo meeting with Saudi leaders is nothing more than a mission to make sure that all of the liars have their stories straight.

The Saudis have the basis of the story prepared and Pompeo is there to help with any final tweaks required to assure that the Trump gang and Fox News will be able to faithfully repeat, support, and excuse those lies.

This is what personal corruption, at the expense of our national soul, looks like.

Vote in 3 weeks for oversight, and restore American values.

Ah yes, the guy who is accused of a crime says he didn’t do it, so he must not have done it. Brilliant leadership as always from Trump.

Oh well, there you have it. If the man denied it, it must be true.

Now Trump has another bezzie mate from an extreme dictatorship - that make how many now? along with Putin and Kim and who else?

Trump is already comparing bin Salman to Kavanaugh.

Meaning he will defend him to the bitter end, then call him the victim and praise his courage.

Of course the crown prince denies it. Trump's son in law Kushner is an Orthodox Jew and is best buddies with the Saudi's, money talks larger regardless of religion, morals and politics and Trump is going to rely on Kushner for advice . Saudi's are going to retaliate, how? Shut off the oil taps, not buy into Trump properties or purchase our weapons? The USA only imports about 17% of it's crude oil from the entire middle east and instead of exporting our Alaskan oil and natural gas from the continental shelf, we could boycott the Saudi's any time if it were not for the politicians who are lobbied and get fat on the average American's taxes and graft from the military industrial complex. I am sure that the Saudi embassy has surveillance video's running 24/7 all over the place and if they handed it over for analysis, this would put this matter to an end.

Typical Trump pattern.

Trump says Kavanaugh denies any . . .

Trump says Roy Moore denies any . . .

Trump says Putin strongly and powerfully (Oh, my!) denies . . .

Etc., etc.

Deny, deny, deny, and when that doesn't work, lie, lie, lie.

By the way, besides gangsters and mobsters, who brings a bone saw to a Q & A session?!

Trump isn’t any use in these situations.

Trump says Saudi prince denies knowing what happened at Istanbul consulate

Now we know what the BS stands for in MBS's name.

Compare this response to that in the Skripal case, for which there was no credible evidence linking it to Russia.

This statement has no basis in reality.

Sould be the usual. Defend the indefensible, get criticized, do a 180 the next day, then walk back his 180 the day after.

His base will he forced to talk about Obama and Clinton.

The need for oil and arms sales is much stronger than need for truth.

(Official statement)

"Saudi Arabia has denied killing him and initially said he left the building unharmed."

Thts 99% correct, they simply made an error when using the letter "h" in the word, unharmed.

Oh, and he might want to start throwing our intelligence agencies under the bus now in case they start getting in the way.

We all know that if you deny something it SURELY means you are completely innocent, and if ANYONE is a good judge of character it’s the ORANGE one:-/

Of course the search of the consul's residence was postponed. They need time to exhume the body parts and relocate them - not an easy task, particularly when everyone is watching.

so while he thinks they did it he has to push this with extreme caution, they are a very important ally 

A very important ally that creates and supports Islamic extremist terrorists. With an ally like that, who needs enemies?

they are a very important ally and we have to be careful, very careful

Like invading the wrong countries after state-sponsored Saudi terrorists flew a few planes one September day, killing thousands. That kind of careful.

Meanwhile,

It took seven minutes for Jamal Khashoggi to die, a Turkish source who has listened in full to an audio recording of the Saudi journalist's last moments told Middle East Eye.

Khashoggi was dragged from the Consul General’s office at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and onto the table of his study next door, the Turkish source said.

More here. Not pleasant reading.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-khashoggi-829291552

@Bass

I thought you’d have more solidarity with a fellow journalist, and a fellow Washington Post journalist at that.

Don’t you see this as a revolting attack on freedom of speech and your noble profession?

Impeach, impeach, impeach. Trump is an idiot and the stupid reality tv addicts in this society deserve him but i do not. I want out.

There will only be girly-man Kushner and MBS going to the Davos in the hellhole at this rate.

Even Lindsay Graham stepped out from the closet to say MBS has gotta go...

Dump likes dictators because he wants to be dictator with dreams of having hotels in those countries. The first traitorous president in US history.

President Trump Says U.S. Would Be 'Foolish' to Cancel Saudi Arms Deals

http://time.com/5424150/trump-saudi-arabia-arms-deal/

Saudi Arabia, like every other country where Trump has business interests, was exempted when the president signed an executive order suspending entry to the United States for citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries—Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—as a means to thwart terrorist attacks. Notably, Saudi Arabia was not included—despite the fact that 15 of the 19 terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks and Osama bin Laden himself were all Saudis and despite the fact that Saudi Arabia has frequently funded extremism and has been a large source of foreign fighters for the Islamic State.

Dumps financial connection to Saudi Arabia like Russia:

"While campaigning in 2015, for instance, he boasted about his business dealings with the Saudis, saying, “Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.” Loads of video on that, so not so much “fake news.” And, Trump’s hotel in New York City this year reversed a two-year trend of declining rental revenue after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage booked rooms there, The Washington Post reported. A spokeswoman for Trump International Hotel confirmed the information, telling WaPo, “The uptick in business specific to Trump International Hotel & Tower New York in March was due to the compression in New York driven by the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince to the City.” Trump’s Chicago hotel, meanwhile, is enjoying a 169% increase in visits by Saudis since 2016, the newspaper reported. In 2001, the Saudi government bought the 45th floor of the Trump World Plaza building in New York City as part of its mission to the United Nations. Before he took up residence in the White House, Trump pursued deals with Saudi investors in an effort to build hotels in that country. In 2015 Trump registered new corporations to manage a prospective hotel in Jeddah."

Trump has no business dealings with the Russians either, right! If Democrats regain the House perhaps America will be able to see Trump's taxes and investigate his many pay-to-play deals. No wonder Dump hides his White House visitor logs and his resort registers.

Dump gets bribes from foreign interests when they come to the US and stay in his hotels.

Donald Trump Tweets “FAKE NEWS” On Saudi Interests As Reax To Journalist Murder Questioned

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/donald-trump-tweets-fake-news-153919808.html

So, you know the journalists are telling the truth!

Sorry Jimizo, b4f is only loyal to whatever the GOP says is good at any particular time. If Trump became a communist on Monday bass would have memorized the Internationale by Tuesday lunch.

Guys- here is a youtube link to a very very interesting perspective on the case. It is about 17 minutes. Really recommend this. Very interesting..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRG8lA3v0sg

I doubt I could trust Saudi Arabia in this, a government with a bit more integrity would be more transparent and open about such an issue.

Then again it is an ‘authoritarian monarchy which does not bow to foreign pressure’...

Saudi Arabia is not telling the truth. End of story. Trump is a Muslim sympathizer because of the $ he gets from them for his real estate ventures with them. His Jewish orthodox son in law is a traitor to his faith and country. America is an international joke of a country. A few hundred years from now, historians will laugh at this period of time and liken it to when the Romans drank out of lead cups.

Sorry!

‘This man’ should have been ‘this man’s death’.

Q: Why doncha give 'em the benefit of the doubt?

A: I am giving 'em the benefit of the doubt - I'm doubting 'em everyday!

This:

That’s what you thought?

is a very strange, but telling response to this:

I thought you’d have more solidarity with a fellow journalist, and a fellow Washington Post journalist at that

I do enjoy watching people claim to be X when their actions and especially their words demonstrate that their is no way they could be X.

Compare this response to that in the Skripal case, for which there was no credible evidence linking it to Russia

Russians do not buy billions of US weaponry and they do not support the petrodollar system. Have they done it, the whole Washington would be full of Skripal-deniers. It's interesting to observe the frantic damage control the US does for the Saudis. Money talks in Washington.

 but when it comes to oil, radical Islam, helping us with Iran, that is an ally for good or bad we can’t afford to lose or even alienate

Anyone else see the failure in logic of claiming the US needs one of the leading state sponsors of radical Islamic terrorism in order to fight radical Islamic terrorism?

London Stock Exchange Chief Executive David Schwimmer joined the list on Tuesday, as did the CEOs of HSBC, Standard Chartered, Credit Suisse, and BNP Paribas, and David Bonderman, the billionaire chairman and founding partner of private equity firm TPG.

Aka the biggest money laundering narco terror complicitors in the world now don’t like the 7th century moral code?

@Toasted That was indeed not pleasant reading. If this Turkish source is correct and this really happened, there is going to have to be major changes in how we deal with the Saudi Arabian government.

A very important ally that creates and supports Islamic extremist terrorists.

And kills them as well.

With an ally like that, who needs enemies?

I don’t know about you, but $100-$200 is not something I or the country wants to deal with.

Like invading the wrong countries after state-sponsored Saudi terrorists flew a few planes one September day, killing thousands. That kind of careful.

So basically were supposed to let radical Islamic terrorism run rampant in our country? As I have said before, you can make an argument on one side about going to war in the Middle East, but you can also make a strong argument that if the Democrats with their constant nauseating environmental preaching wouldn’t have been blocking the production of oil in the US and fracking we also wouldn’t be in this mess as well, so you can blame both sides for having to be in this unhealthy relationship.

"I think we have to find out what happened first," Trump told the Associated Press in an interview on Tuesday. "Here we go again with, you know, you’re guilty until proven innocent. I don’t like that."

Reasonable. No?

This is a complicated situation. Here's some good commentary on this:

On the Saudi Government, Trump, Arms Sales, and Journalism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_BtG8zCdP0

I just read that, No it really wasn’t pleasant reading, no person should ever have to suffer like that. A deep, deep tragedy.

Saudi Arabia, like every other country where Trump has business interests, was exempted when the president signed an executive order suspending entry to the United States for citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries—Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—as a means to thwart terrorist attacks. Notably, Saudi Arabia was not included—despite the fact that 15 of the 19 terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks and Osama bin Laden himself were all Saudis and despite the fact that Saudi Arabia has frequently funded extremism and has been a large source of foreign fighters for the Islamic State.

I get your point and? As I have said before and what the left and some on the right don’t get, you just can’t kick the Saudis to the curb especially when it comes to oil, for all the talk Washington does, both parties know they can’t and really won’t do squat, at least to the level that’s utterly devastating to the Saudis and trust me, I’m not a fan of that nation and despise them as much as Iran, but when it comes to oil, radical Islam, helping us with Iran, that is an ally for good or bad we can’t afford to lose or even alienate, sadly. You have to approach this carefully, you can’t go swinging at these people, not when they have a strangle hold on a commodity we all need.

I thought you’d have more solidarity with a fellow journalist, and a fellow Washington Post journalist at that. 

That’s what you thought?

Because Trump said it we are supposed to believe it? To me the opposite now rings true!

Trump is right on this one, cool heads need to prevail and not make a rush to judgment, no I think they’re 100% guilty, but do we have any evidence? Do we have anything concrete and tangible that we can tie to make sure before making this allegation? No, we do not and until then we cannot directly or concretely say without any shred of evidence or concretely. Delicious still hasn’t learned from The Kavanaugh debacle. At this point it doesn’t matter what the Democrats or the Republicans think and you can’t just jump in with two barrels ankle slinging accusations if you can’t back it up, so while he thinks they did it he has to push this with extreme caution, they are a very important ally and we have to be careful, very careful. Now if you ask me privately what I think and personally, I do believe that the Saudi’s are knee-deep in this.

Trump must be loving all the outrage and loving cocking a snook at the liberal US press.

Compare this response to that in the Skripal case, for which there was no credible evidence linking it to Russia.