Murder, He (Again) Refused to Note
Trump, defending Saudi Arabia’s dictator, repeatedly sloughs off assassination and dismemberment of a journalist.
Political cartoon by Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News.
Jamal Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist whose work included being a contributing columnist for The Washington Post.
On Oct. 2, 2018, he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey to obtain documents for his planned marriage. He was never seen leaving.
The final verdict from investigations ranging from Turkey’s intelligence agency to the U.S. Central Intelligence agency was this: Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate by agents of the Saudi government at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His body was dismembered and carried out of the consulate in suitcases.
The CIA issued its murder report on Nov. 16, 2018. The New York Times’ article on the CIA report, published that same day, noted the crown prince’s involvement:
The C.I.A. made the assessment based on the crown prince’s control of Saudi Arabia, which is such that the killing would not have taken place without his approval, and has buttressed its conclusion with two sets of crucial communications: intercepts of the crown prince’s calls in the days before the killing, and calls by the kill team to a senior aide to the crown prince.
The C.I.A. has believed for weeks that Prince Mohammed was culpable in Mr. Khashoggi’s killing but had been hesitant to definitively conclude that he directly ordered it. The agency has passed that assessment on to lawmakers and Trump administration officials.
The change in C.I.A. thinking came as new information emerged, officials said. The evidence included an intercept showing a member of the kill team calling an aide to Prince Mohammed and saying “tell your boss” that the mission was accomplished.
The murder occurred during Donald Trump’s first term as president. He showed frustration when the press asked him about it. And when Prince Mohammed came to the U.S., Trump avoided the subject, preferring instead to display a chart of the weapons the U.S. was selling Saudi Arabia.
Same Frustration, Second Verse
Prince Mohammed was back in Washington this week. On Tuesday, Trump again showed frustration over the press raising Khashoggi’s murder. The Washington Post reported:
“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but [Mohammed] knew nothing about it,” Trump said in response to a question about Khashoggi. “And we can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that.”
… Trump called the inquiry about Khashoggi from ABC News reporter Mary Bruce a “horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question,” adding that “I think the license should be taken away from ABC, because your news is so fake and it’s so wrong.”
Dictator as Outlaw
Trump’s attitude is clearly one of a dictator who, with his calling Bruce’s question “insubordinate”, considers the press subject to his rule as president.
It’s a continuum of his attitude of the press as an enemy, and his “right” as president to control America’s culture – everything from the press, to public education, to business and industry.
In February, I wrote a column with the single-word headline “Outlaws”. In it, I discussed how -- from sanctioning the International Criminal Court, to defying U.S. federal court orders, to erasing histories of police misconduct -- Trump and his cronies define “outlaws”.
I noted how, most crucial, the Supreme Court invited Trump and every future president to practice the Outlaw Life with its 2024 ruling making a president free from criminal prosecution for “official acts”. This was the perfect invitation for a 34-count convicted felon who has a business practice of lawbreaking, and who is now fulfilling his desire at dictatorship.
His abhorrent denial of the realities of Khashoggi’s murder should be a bloody, clear message to Congress, the Supreme Court, and voters of the dangers of Trump’s dictatorship.
But, it appears the nation’s only hope of opposing his iron fist remains with voters who showed their opposition in recent elections. They have the chance to stamp that opposition further in the 2026 midterms…if Trump doesn’t stop the midterms…which could drain the depth of his support in Congress, and his grip on power.
C.I.A. Concludes That Saudi Crown Prince Ordered Khashoggi Killed - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Trump denies CIA implicated Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi murder - POLITICO
Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing - The Washington Post
OUTLAWS… - by Roger Armbrust - Crusty Old Journalist (substack.com)
For more on Trump’s fascism and other vital issues, read my book from Parkhurst Brothers Publishers:
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Amazon.com: The False and the Unfair: A Novel: 9798284946855: Armbrust, Mr. Roger: Books
