111. Defending a murderer in the Trump style
Donald Trump is a genuine businessman. He will go to any length to prove his point, even if he thinks otherwise. That’s his biggest quality.
Just an example – yesterday, Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time since the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment in Istanbul by Saudi state operatives.
During a press conference, when an ABC News journalist asked a question about the murder, Trump said: “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 he (the crown prince) knew nothing about it.”
Thus, Trump downplayed the Saudi regime’s killing of the columnist, describing the journalist as “extremely controversial” and unpopular, and dismissing the incident by saying “things happen”.
Prince Mohammed said, “It’s painful and it’s a huge mistake, and we are doing our best so that this doesn’t happen again.”
Just imagine how Trump habitually tells white lies: Earlier, US intelligence agencies had formally assessed that the prince ordered the killing.
Although it’s not necessarily required to revisit those days now, I can’t resist mentioning the established truth to some extent.
You can make someone unaware of the truth understand it, but with someone who knows everything and pretends to be innocent or stubborn, it’s pointless.
Still, to set the record straight, I am mentioning here a report that was released six years ago.
In June 2019, the United Nations released the findings of a five-month investigation into Khashoggi's murder. Using recordings and forensic evidence from Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, where Khashoggi was killed, the 100-page report describes the brutal final moments of the journalist’s life. It states that Khashoggi first fought against his killers, then was possibly sedated and smothered with a plastic bag.
The report directly attributes the murder to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The report characterizes Khashoggi’s killing as a “deliberate, premeditated execution” and an “extrajudicial killing," for which Saudi Arabia bears legal responsibility under international human rights law.
Public opinion held the Saudi government and bin Salman personally responsible for Khashoggi’s death. The U.S. intelligence community stated, less than a month after the murder, that the crown prince likely ordered the killing himself.
But this is not the first time –
From the beginning of the Khashoggi affair, President Donald Trump firmly supported the Saudi government and bin Salman in particular. Trump has repeatedly and openly dismissed accusations against the crown prince, calling him a “very good ally” and refusing to accept the findings of his own intelligence agencies.
This suggests that a “very good ally” can act freely and do anything, even murder a journalist, and the US will turn a blind eye.
Trump has also confirmed that he intended to sell top-of-the-line F-35 stealth fighter jets to Riyadh, over the objections of Israel and concerns of the US intelligence community.
Trump’s offer to sell F-35s has triggered anxiety in Israel, which is currently the only country in the Middle East with the advanced plane. It has also alarmed US intelligence agencies because of Saudi Arabia’s close security ties with China, raising concerns about the theft of the F-35’s technology.
Trump is also seeking to make a deal with Riyadh: nuclear and security cooperation with the US in return for Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and normalising relations with Israel.
It is also concerning how Trump is using the White House to promote his family business worldwide.
From his agreement with Pakistan on Bitcoin to his reportedly close relationship with the crown prince, all are said to fall into that category. During his second term, the Trump family business engaged in numerous negotiations over multibillion-dollar investments in Saudi Arabia.
These blurred lines between the Trump family’s private business interests in the Gulf are certainly not good for the USA, as well as peace in the Middle East.
Trump has stated multiple times that there is no conflict of interest because he has given up his interests.
When Trump began his second term, the Trump Organization announced he would withdraw from daily business operations, placing his assets in a trust managed by his children.
Yet Trump is brazenly making deals and violating the oath of office.
The next three years are likely to be very difficult, and various groups and organizations, such as the European Union, the G20, and others, must be careful when dealing with this gentleman.
(Top Photo: Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi)