Tag: Assassination

Always Go With The Good Customer

I see that nothing matters to this president…he will always go with the customer….and I am not necessarily talking about our booming weapons industry……

Trump refuses to state the facts that the intel agencies have handed him about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi……..

President Trump made clear in a statement Tuesday that he has no intention of cutting ties with Saudi Arabia over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event—maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump said, referring to Mohammed bin Salman. Trump, however, pointed out that King Salman and the prince “vigorously deny any knowledge” of the murder, per the Washington Post. “We may never know all the facts,” he added, but “in any case, our relationship is with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Trump rejected the idea of “foolishly” canceling military contracts, saying that would only benefit Russia and China, reports Reuters. The US, he said, “intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia.” As for critics in Congress who want to punish the Saudis: “I will consider whatever ideas are presented to me, but only if they are consistent with the absolute security and safety of America.” (The CIA is reportedly pretty sure that the crown prince is behind the murder.)

Our Dear Supreme Leader has stated that he has talked with MbS on at least 5 occasions and he has said he was not involved…..and Trump even dispatched SecState Pompeo to Saudi to “get some answers”…..

Really?  Or did he go to Saudi to help the prince with his lies?

During his trip to the kingdom last month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly provided Saudi Arabia with a detailed plan on how to make sure Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was protected from the fallout over writer Jamal Khashoggi’s murder—and possibly pin the killing on an innocent person. Middle East Eye reports Pompeo delivered the plan during a meeting with Saudi King Salman and and the crown prince last month in Riyadh. The U.S. State Department strongly denied the existence of the plan. The “roadmap” allegedly includes an option to pin the murder on an innocent member of the ruling family to avoid blame falling on those at the top. That fall guy has not been chosen, according to the report, and Saudi leaders are said to be reserving that plan in case the criticism of the crown prince intensifies. “We would not be surprised if that happens,” a source told the Middle East Eye. The U.S. State Department called the allegations “a complete misrepresentation of the secretary’s diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia.”

(thedailybeast.com)

I wish I could say something nice but all I can do is think of what did MbS promise Trump to get him lying in support of the prince?  What is the price of a human life?

Besides….just what do we get from Saudi Arabia?  They have been a supporter of terrorism, they have done nothing to help with the Palestinians, they work on total self-interests not caring one way or the other about the US……again just what does the US get from the Saudis?  I think the Trump family gets more than the country does.

The Saudis owe us not we owe them!  And yet this president spends time on his knees before these barbaric murderers…….why?

Saudis Show Their Disdain

Now that the world knows for certain that the Saudis are responsible for the assassination of a WaPo journalist they have hit the airwaves to show how little they care about the world’s opinion……

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat said Saturday that the global outcry and media focus on the killing of a Saudi journalist earlier this month has become “hysterical” as he urged the public to wait for the results of an investigation before ascribing blame to the kingdom’s top leadership, the AP reports. Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed by Saudi agents at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. “This issue has become fairly hysterical,” Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said. “I think people have assigned blame to Saudi Arabia with such certainty before the investigation is complete.” Some of those implicated in Khashoggi’s killing are close to Prince Mohammed, who is the kingdom’s heir apparent.

His condemnation of the killing as “heinous” and “painful” has so far failed to ease suspicions that such a high-level operation could have been carried out without his knowledge. Al-Jubeir addressed the mounting skepticism around the crown prince’s alleged involvement. He was speaking in response to questions from Western journalists at an annual conference of international officials, including US Defense Secretary James Mattis, in Bahrain. “We have made clear that we are going to have a full and transparent investigation, the results of which will be released,” he said, adding that the kingdom has also put in place mechanisms to ensure this does not happen again. “We know that people exceeded their authority and we know that we’re investigating them,” he said

They tried to get a chuckle and to make light of the assassination.

To counter their barbarity they use Iran as an example……

Saudi Arabia and key ally Bahrain said on Saturday that Gulf states are playing a critical role in maintaining stability in the Middle East by combating Iran’s “vision of darkness”, as Riyadh faces its worst political crisis in decades, reports Reuters.

Saudi Arabia is the lynchpin of a US-backed regional bloc against growing Iranian influence in the Middle East but the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. has prompted a global outcry and strained Riyadh’s ties with the West.

“We are now dealing with two visions in the Middle East. One is a (Saudi) vision of light … One is an (Iranian) vision of darkness which seeks to spread sectarianism throughout the region,” Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a security summit in Bahrain.

https://theantimedia.com/saudi-arabia-beacon-light-iran-khashoggi/

What CRAP!  Who wrote this script for them….. Israel?

The Saudis are pulling out all stops to make the US forget their crimes against their people and against humanity.

Any American investing in anything Saudi should do the right thing and pull their cash from under their, The Saudis, feet.

Screw the Saudis!

Limp Dick Penalties

I need to apologize for my internet is spotty at best today….I am posting in between brown outs and such…..hopefully these toads will get it right some time today.

Now for the news of the day (well yesterday)……

We have been waiting for all the information to trickle into the White House so that Our Dear Supreme Leader can flex American muscle and make the Saudis pay for the gruesome murder of a WaPo journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

After all the semi-tough talk from Trumpy Boy (I could not use “Trumpy Bear for it is a registered trademark) Trump has decided and Pompeo stepped forward and as usual gave his limp dick verdict.

The Trump administration revoked the visas Tuesday of some Saudi officials implicated in the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi in its first punitive measure against its longtime Middle East partner, as President Donald Trump denounced the kingdom for one of the “worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups.” Shortly after Trump made the comment, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration was moving to revoke the visas of Saudi government and intelligence agents suspected of involvement in the death of Khashoggi. Visa records are confidential and Pompeo was not more specific about who the revocations would affect, but the State Department later said 21 “Saudi suspects” would have visas revoked or would be declared ineligible to enter the US, the AP reports.

Revoking thew visas of minor Saudi players that were working under orders….cannot get more Limp Dick than that.

To be honest Pompeo did say that there is the possibility of further consequences…….

“These penalties will not be the last word on this matter,” Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. The administration “will continue to hold those responsible accountable. We’re making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, with violence. Neither the president or I am happy with this situation.” Members of Congress have demanded that sanctions be imposed on Saudi Arabia. Trump has resisted calls thus far to cut off arms sales to the kingdom and Pompeo stressed the strategic importance of the US-Saudi relationship. But in his remarks to reporters at the White House, Trump derided the initial Saudi denial of any wrongdoing and efforts to conceal what happened to Khashoggi. “They had a very bad original concept,” he said. “It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups. Somebody really messed up and they had the worst cover-up ever.”

It should be very telling when further penalties are announced ….if ever.

How about putting some teeth in this decision…..first, an international investigation for the Saudis will do nothing and Turkey is probably up to something….second, NATO should expel Saudi ambassadors….third suspend arms sales (do not believe the hype they will continue to buy our weapons they have a war in Yemen that needs the armament)…these would be the bare minimum of penalties for now.

But as was predicted the Saudis will get a free ride for their actions.

A closing statement…..Khashoggi’s bodily remains may have been located….

Three weeks after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and never emerged, Turkish officials are reporting that journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s body and personal effects have finally been found. The circumstances once again support the idea that a Saudi kill-team that arrived at the consulate at the same time indeed killed and attempted to dispose of him.

Though Turkish investigators are so far not confirming or denying it, top Turkish official Dogu Perincek is reporting that Khashoggi’s body was found cut-up and disfigured, and dumped in the well in the garden belonging to the Saudi consul general.

This all supports the audio recording of Khashoggi’s murder, in which the then-consule general objected to the kill-team killing and cutting up Khashoggi in the consulate, saying he’d “get in trouble.” He’s been fired, and recalled to Saudi Arabia for an investigation.

(antiwar.com)

Now ask yourself why are we not more strict on the Saudis?  It is not the oil for we have more than they do and we could make up any short fall if they, Saudis, want to retaliate……arms deals?  They need us more than we need them they will continue to buy our implements of destruction….so just what is the reason that we feel we must continuously give them oral sex?

Saudis Feed Manure To The World

And Our Dear Supreme Leader is eating it up…….

I see the Saudis have a hard time coming up with the story of the death of Jamal Khashoggi…..reminds me of the ever changing story when they killed a busload of school kids in Yemen….

Their story here is also ever changing…..most times to the point of stupid!

But never let it be said that I would not try to give all the story to date…..a recap……..

President Trump is criticizing Saudi Arabia’s version of Jamal Khashoggi’s death—that the late journalist died in a fistfight gone wrong. “Obviously there’s been deception, and there’s been lies,” he tells the Washington Post, but adds that “nobody has told me” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the death: “We haven’t reached that point … I would love if he wasn’t responsible.” He also downplayed Jared Kushner’s relationship with Mohammed (“They’re two young guys. … They like each other, I believe”) and made clear his position on a pending $110 billion US arms sale to the kingdom. “It’s the largest order in history,” he says. “To give that up would hurt us far more than it hurts them. Then all they’ll do is go to Russia or go to China. … With that being said, something will take place.” For more:

  • The chokehold: An unidentified Saudi official tells Reuters that 15 Saudi nationals confronted Khashoggi to convince him to return to Saudi Arabia, but overstepped their bounds by threatening to drug and kidnap him. When Khashoggi raised his voice, he was put in a chokehold and died. “The intention was not to kill him,” the official says.
  • Why, why, why: Doubters are pointing out holes in the Saudi story, the New York Times reports. Why did the royal court take 18 days to admit Khashoggi had died, after saying for two weeks he had left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul intact? Why would 60-year-old Khashoggi get in a fight with security agents? Why did the Saudi detail include an autopsy specialist?
  • More skeptics: Britain is among those who don’t believe: “No, I don’t think it is credible,” says Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab of the fistfight story, per Al Jazeera. Germany, Canada, France, and of course Turkey are among the doubters. The European Union is demanding a “transparent investigation” into Khashoggi’s death, the AP reports.
  • The body: Amnesty International wants Saudi Arabia to turn over Khashoggi’s body for an autopsy. The fistfight story is “not trustworthy and marks an abysmal new low to Saudi Arabia’s human rights record,” says an Amnesty director in a statement.

No “nonsense”: Two Saudi royal family members tell the Wall Street Journal that Prince Khalid al Faisal, an envoy of Mohammed’s, went to Turkey last month and heard an audio recording of Khashoggi being drugged, killed, and cut up right after he entered the consulate. “The audio does not have this nonsense about a fight that broke after an argument,” says one.

  • Twitter army: Saudi Arabia uses an “army of Twitter trolls” to harass critics of the kingdom—and Khashoggi was among their targets, the New York Times reports. Sometimes he took the attacks to heart: “The mornings were the worst for him because he would wake up to the equivalent of sustained gunfire online,” says a friend.
  • Saudi supporters: Saudi Arabia’s Middle East allies are praising Mohammed’s handling of the story, per Al Jazeera. Egypt commends his “brave and decisive actions” while state-run media in the United Arab Emirates praises his “directives and decisions … on the issue of Khashoggi.”
  • Times editorial: “Trump has been longing for some way to hang on to his soul mate Prince Mohammed and lucrative Saudi arms deals from day one, and he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief over the story the Saudis concocted after more than two weeks of lies and evasions,” per a New York Times editorial about the fistfight story.

According to one report, Khashoggi’s fingers were removed first—then his head.

The story they are trying to sell the hardest is that Khashoggi’s death was an accident……sorry guys but you do not bring a bone saw to an accident.

What should we expect from a barbarous nation like KSA….they behead bloggers for God sake…..this act of extreme cruelty is nothing new when writing about KSA.

Will we ever know the truth?  Doubtful.  Will the Trump gang of thugs accept the explanation?  That is once the Saudis settle on their story and stick to it.  Probably.

Have Gun Will Travel

As long as I am writing about assassination…….

Does anyone remember the Western from the 60’s?  Paladin–does it ring a bell?  Never mind….don’t hurt yourself it was a TV western about a hired gun and weekly he made the decisions of life and death…..Richard Boone played probably the first anti-hero hero….

But I digress!

I bring this up because of something that is being reported……there seems to be an hired American hit team operating for the UAE……

It’s “almost like a murder squad,” an incredulous former CIA official told BuzzFeed News. The site had called him for comment as it dug into a potential bombshell of a story: that former elite US special operations fighters were assassinating high-profile figures in Yemen, but not as part of a military operation. Rather, the targeted killings allegedly came at the request of the United Arab Emirates, which had engaged the private US company the former fighters now work for. The CIA official told BuzzFeed this simply wasn’t possible. Then he asked around and called back: “There were guys that were basically doing what you said.” So what is BuzzFeed saying? Aram Roston centers much of his lengthy piece around what he says was a planned Dec. 29, 2015, hit, staffed by employees of the Delaware-incorporated Spear Operations Group.

Spear’s founder is Abraham Golan, “a charismatic Hungarian Israeli security contractor who lives outside of Pittsburgh,” whose employees—a former Green Beret and former Navy SEALs among them—were to kill Anssaf Ali Mayo, a key figure in a political party the UAE sees as having terror ties (critics counter this). Roston recounts Golan and his team flying to the UAE and receiving a 23-person hit list while on board; Golan viewed the targets as “legitimate,” as Roston puts it, because the UAE selected them, and the US backs the UAE’s military efforts. Things went awry with Mayo; they managed to bomb the party’s HQ, but had no proof Mayo was dead, and he seems to still be alive. But Roston sees the attempt on his life as an opening salvo, with “members of Al-Islah, and other clerics in Aden [subsequently] dropping dead at an alarming pace.” Golan says his team was behind a number of those hits. Read Roston’s full piece, which explores the “surprisingly unclear” question of whether Spear’s alleged actions are illegal under US law.

The excuse for this rings hollow but also is used to justify the murder of Khashoggi…..

Once again mercs being used to do the dirty work that governments want to keep their hands clean….plausible deniability.

The report made me think of the TV show but it also lead me to something that was a secret until recently……Murder Inc…..when I was in the service of my country there was a group operating internationally their title was “Service 7″….it was an assassination squad from Bulgaria…..

“The Bulgarian state security services had a super-secret special bureau responsible for the eradication, kidnapping or discrediting of Bulgarian émigrés around the world long before the notorious assassination of Bulgarian writer Georgi Markov in London in 1978.

The SMERSH-style Cold War clandestine structure was called ‘Service 7’. It began operations in mid-1963 and by 1972 was engaged in at least 10 cases against Bulgarians who escaped to Italy, Britain, Denmark, West Germany, Turkey, France, Ethiopia, Sweden and Switzerland before 1989.

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/opinion/murder-bureau-department-of-murders-existed-in-bulgaria/

More on these American mercs……

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/aramroston/mercenaries-assassination-us-yemen-uae-spear-golan-dahlan

There was a time after Vietnam when I actually thought about becoming a merc or at least joining the Foreign Legion….but the birth of my daughter changed all that silliness.

There use to be a consequence for fighting in a war not declared by the US…those days are gone…sadly this trend is very disturbing.

Further Reading if you would like to know more……

https://lobotero.com/2018/05/15/wars-we-dont-know/

https://lobotero.com/2018/10/03/afghanistan-october-2018/

https://lobotero.com/2017/08/11/dont-privatize-the-afghan-war-just-end-it/

Khashoggi–The Story That Will Not Go Away

That is what the Saudis are thinking…..and guess what…it should not go away!

***This is a lot to read but please give it some time for there is much to be learned***

Our Dear Supreme Leader is acting as the front man the PR agent for the Saudis…..

President Trump Tuesday criticized rapidly mounting global condemnation of Saudi Arabia over the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, warning of a rush to judgment. In an interview with the AP, Trump compared the situation to the allegations of sexual assault leveled against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing. “I think we have to find out what happened first,” he said. “Here we go again with, you know, you’re guilty until proven innocent. I don’t like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way as far as I’m concerned.” Trump spoke Tuesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Monday with King Salman. He said both deny any knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi, who entered their country’s consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago and hasn’t been seen since.

In Turkey earlier Tuesday, a high-level Turkish official told the AP that police investigators searching the Saudi Consulate had found evidence that Khashoggi was killed there. Also Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the king and crown prince in Riyadh and said later the kingdom had made a “serious commitment” to hold senior leaders and officials accountable if implicated in Khashoggi’s death. Trump said he hopes the Saudis’ own investigation of Khashoggi’s disappearance will be concluded in “less than a week.” Trump said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s trip to attend a Saudi investment conference is still on, but that it could be canceled by Friday depending on what the investigation finds. (Inside the Saudi consulate, suspicious new paint.)

I see his dumb fumbling supporters are on the same page as their Supreme Leader……..

Now to be honest…I think Turkey is up to something behind the scenes….I would not put it past them to cut a deal with the Saudis and the evidence they have collected.

President Trump has mused it might have been “rogue killers” who murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while other sources are buzzing that Saudi Arabia plans to admit Khashoggi was accidentally killed during an interrogation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got directly on the case Tuesday in Riyadh, where he was sent by Trump to meet with King Salman and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Reuters and CBS News report. After that sit-down, Pompeo was expected to dine later Monday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (aka MBS), who’s been linked to an order to abduct Khashoggi, an ex-senior US official tells the New York Times. Pompeo’s meeting with the king was “hastily arranged” and “short”; CNN estimates it lasted just 15 minutes, based on motorcade arrival and departure times.

State Department rep Heather Nauert didn’t reveal much about the meeting, other than Pompeo thanking the king “for his commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation.” Meanwhile, witnesses tell Reuters that Turkish crime scene officials scoured the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where Khashoggi was last seen, for more than nine hours Monday, and a Turkish government rep says police are expected to go back Tuesday. CNN reporters noted that before investigators descended upon the consulate, they’d seen a cleaning crew head inside. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered a bit of eyebrow-raising insight into what authorities are focusing on. “The investigation is looking into many things such as toxic materials and those materials being removed by painting them over.”

MbS is behind this and he has a dark side (go figure)…….

The disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has put the spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS.

Since he outmanoeuvred his rivals to become Saudi Arabia’s de-facto leader in 2015, the 33-year-old has received favourable coverage in international media, with a multitude of reports focused on his economic and social reforms in the conservative kingdom.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/mohammed-bin-salman-dark-side-saudi-arabia-crown-prince-181015123719153.html

The Saudis probably spend more cash on lobbying than any other country…..and the firms that represent the Saudis are bailing from them…..

A Washington lobbying firm has told Saudi Arabia it will no longer represent the kingdom, as international furor builds over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A person familiar with the move says The Glover Park Group informed the Saudis on Monday of the decision. The person wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

Disclosure records filed with the Justice Department show the firm has been providing the Saudi Embassy with “government relations and communications counsel” for $150,000 a month.

The decision underscores the growing pressure facing Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi hasn’t been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. He wrote columns critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Another lobbying firm, The Harbour Group, severed its contract with the Saudi government late last week.

(yahoo.com)

And the list keeps expanding…..hit where it hurts….in the PR bread box….

As I keep saying this story is far from over…..no amount of false starts will change the outcome…..

Would you like to know what the rest of the Arab world is saying?  Of course you would.  I would like to be fair so I have found what others are saying outside the realm of the Western Powers.

Palestine

On Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he offered his “full confidence” to the kingdom and thanked its leaders for their support of the Palestinians.

“Palestine was – and shall remain – on the side of Saudi Arabia,” Abbas said in a statement.

Palestinian sources told the Jerusalem Post they believed that the statement was issued at the request of the Saudi leadership.

Lebanon

Lebanese Minister Saad Hariri said in a statement also on Sunday that he stood in solidarity with Saudi Arabia “in the face of the campaigns targeting it”.

“The status of Saudi Arabia in the Arab and international communities places it among the central countries entrusted with the stability of the region and the support of the Arab causes,” he said.

“The campaigns against it constitute a violation of this stability and an unacceptable call to drag the region towards further negative developments.”

Last November, Hariri announced in a televised address from Riyadh that he was stepping down as prime minister of Lebanon, sparking concerns that he was being detained against his will.

After France intervened, Hariri was freed and rescinded his resignation the following month. He was named premier for a third term earlier this year after Lebanon’s first parliamentary polls in nine years.

Egypt

Ahmed Hafidh, Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesman, said on Sunday that the country was following the repercussions of Khashoggi’s disappearance with great “concern” and warned against using his case politically against Saudi Arabia.

“Egypt reaffirms its support for the kingdom in its efforts and positions dealing with this event,” he said.

Bahrain

Bahrain’s foreign ministry released a statement on Sunday emphasising the country’s support for Saudi Arabia in the face of those trying to harm the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is “the essential foundation for the security and stability of the Arab and Islamic worlds and the solid foundation and strong pillar of stability in the region,” the statement said, adding that Bahrain “rejects” the attempts to infringe on the “sovereignty, policies and prestige” of the kingdom.

Yemen

Yemen’s president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi – who has been living in exile in Riyadh since 2015, after the Houthi movement captured significant territory in the country – affirmed its “full solidarity” with the kingdom.

“The cheap political and media targeting of Saudi Arabia will not deter it from continuing its leading role in the Arab and Islamic worlds,” the president said in a statement reported in Saudi media.

Arab League

The Arab League affirmed on Sunday its rejection of any political pressure applied on Saudi Arabia in relation to the Khashoggi affair.

“It is totally unacceptable, in the context of relations between countries, to wave economic sanctions as a policy or tool to achieve political goals,” an Arab League official told Wafa agency.

“Concerning the disappearance of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi authorities have clearly stated their cooperation in ongoing investigations.”

Iran

Saudi arch-rival Iran said on Monday it would adopt a wait-and-see approach to Khashoggi’s disappearance.

“We prefer to wait until more details and facts are revealed … It is too early to comment,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told a news conference, broadcast live on state TV.

Most of these testimonials are disingenuous at best….they are protecting their butts by all this fake acceptance.  The one statement that got my attention was that the Saudis were an anchor for the stability of the region….truth is anyone that knows the Middle East should get a good chuckle out of the statement.

I will be watching and writing…..

I did not have to wait long for the BS from Our Dear Supreme Leader……he casts doubt on anything happening……his ass scratching supporters to follow suit….

With Saudi Arabia working on the exact language of their admission that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in their consulate in Istanbul, President Trump is shifting his policy toward increasingly vocal defense of the Saudis, and blanket denials that the Saudis are doing anything wrong.

Talk of punishment if found guilty is drying up, and now President Trump is complaining that the media is treating the Saudis as “guilty until proven innocent,” despite having admitted himself that he’d also heard the Saudis are working on an admission that they in fact killed Khashoggi during a “botched interrogation.”

Trump appears content to take the word of Saudi officials as absolute insisting that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denied any knowledge of what happened in the consulate, and citing the king’s promise of a full investigation.

(antiwar.com)

Then there is graphic recordings…..

A pro-government Turkish newspaper published a gruesome recounting Wednesday of the alleged slaying of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, just as America’s top diplomat arrived in the country for talks over the Washington Post columnist’s disappearance, the AP reports. The Yeni Safak report cited what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi’s slaying, which it said showed the writer was tortured. The newspaper said Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi could be heard on the tape, telling those allegedly torturing Khashoggi: “Do this outside; you’re going to get me in trouble.” The newspaper said one of the Saudis torturing Khashoggi replied: “Shut up if you want to live when you return to (Saudi) Arabia.”

The report adds to the ever-increasing pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi, who vanished Oct. 2 while visiting the consulate to pick up paperwork he needed to get married. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held separate meetings with Turkey’s president and foreign minister for around 40 minutes each on Wednesday in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Pompeo met with Saudi King Salman and his son, the 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Tuesday. Before leaving Riyadh, Pompeo told reporters that the Saudi leaders “made no exceptions on who they would hold accountable.”

Does anyone out there believe the words of a lying d/bag like Pompeo?

There’s a bit more…….

…….an audio recording of the slaying. Khashoggi—who was also drugged, per the Wall Street Journal—was dead within minutes, but not before his fingers were cut off, the official said.

Khashoggi was beheaded, then his body dismembered, the official told the Times. Putting on headphones, a doctor of forensics advised others to do the same, claiming music made the work easier, the official said. Like the Yeni Safak report, the official cited audio recordings said to have been obtained by Turkey. After noting Tuesday that the US should “be smart” to avoid losing a “$110 billion order” for arms from Saudi Arabia, per the Journal, President Trump said Wednesday he had requested access to the audio. But as Turkish police searched al-Otaibi’s residence in Istanbul, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he’d be patient. It’s “reasonable to give [the Saudis] a handful of days more to complete [their investigation] so they get it right,” he said, per CBS News.

So I Have Written!

Khashoggi: Then And The Future

This is a lot to read….but this situation needs to be understood…..please try to keep up.

Interesting turns around the Khashoggi assassination…..our Dear Supreme Leader has issued his warning to the Saudis and it is about as limp dick as he could possibly be…..

President Trump continues to grapple with the uncomfortable situation surrounding the disappearance and likely murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, promising “severe punishment” if the Saudis are to blame, but also making a series of comments that show a reluctance to threaten traditional US-Saudi ties, and business relationships.

The $110 billion in arms deal with the Saudi kingdom are a big reason why Trump is so close to them, as selling arms has been a top administration priority. It is also the obvious place to cut amid a diplomatic crisis, though Trump has consistently opposed that idea.

Trump argues the US would “be punishing ourselves” if they lost the $110 billion deal, saying it would be “very foolish” to lose all that. He claims there are other options for punishing the Saudis, but is mum on what those are.

Analysts say that while this may further harm Saudi support in Congress, the administration is content to “sweep it under the rug,” so long as the Saudis continue to compensate them in the form of lucrative arms deals for politically well-connected US companies.

(antiwar.com)

Trump’s envy…the boy king to be of Saudi Arabia is just silly……he, Trump, tries to hold their dicks while sounding like he expects some sort of result from the Saudis….

What were Jamal Khashoggi’s last thoughts, as he was being dragged out of the Saudi consulate general’s office in Istanbul by two men and realised that he had walked straight into a trap?

Khashoggi was no newcomer. He knew how Saudi consuls and embassies worked. He himself had worked in two of them: Washington and London. He knew the beast, the way it thought, the way it acted, the way it smelt.

He also thought he knew the rules. He had worked for Turki bin Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief. The rules of the game were brutal, but they were rational. There were clear red lines. If you knew about them, you could calculate the risks you were taking.

https://theantimedia.com/trump-boy-king-mohammed-bin-salman/

The Saudis have bowed up and planted a flag that they will be bend……at least the EU is acting like a world leader while the American bites his lower lip in anticipation……

Saudi Arabia says it rejects any “threats” of economic sanctions or political pressure regarding the disappearance of a Saudi writer—and European nations are calling for an investigation, the AP reports. In a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency on Sunday, the Saudi government said it will respond to any steps taken against it over the vanishing of Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi stocks plunged nearly 7% Sunday after President Trump went on 60 Minutes and said that “we’re going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment” if US officials find that Riyadh ordered Khashoggi’s murder. Khashoggi went missing when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials fear Khashoggi was killed and dismembered, allegations rejected by Saudi officials.

Meanwhile, Germany, France, and Britain are calling for a “credible investigation” to establish what happened to Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi and seek a “complete and detailed” Saudi response. The German, French, and British foreign ministers said in a joint statement Sunday that defending freedom of expression and ensuring protection for journalists are key priorities and that they are “treating this incident with the utmost seriousness.” They said there must be a credible investigation to establish the truth and “if relevant” identify those responsible for Khashoggi’s disappearance. “We encourage joint Saudi-Turkish efforts in that regard, and expect the Saudi government to provide a complete and detailed response,” they added.

These power crazed Saudis have started beating their chest like sex crazed gorillas in response to possible sanctions…….

Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange plummeted on Sunday, with the index down some 7 percent in early trading on fears of international sanctions over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In comments likely intended to address the domestic investors’ concerns, Saudi officials issued a statement threatening “greater action” against the US and other Western nations for any actions taken related to Khashoggi’s disappearance and presumed murder.

Saudi state media published an opinion piece from one of their managers saying the kingdom is ready to implement measures against the US economy that would result in oil prices skyrocketing. He added that “if Washington imposes sanctions on Riyadh, it will stab its own economy to death.” The same piece also suggested an end to US-Saudi intelligence sharing, and a Saudi-Russian alliance.

The threats are a similar tack to the Saudi threats in 2016 surrounding the US Congress planning to strip them of sovereign immunity over their role in 9/11. In that case, Saudi officials also openly threatened to destroy the value of the US dollar by flooding the debt market.

While historically the combination of economic threats and juicy military contracts have been enough for the Saudis to get their way in almost all things, and that’s clearly the message officials are attempting to send to investors, there is a risk that such overt threats are going to further rile a US Congress that is already furious about the Khashoggi affair, and speed up the path to measures like arms sales restrictions.

(antiwar.com)

Seriously?  Does anyone believe the Saudis will make good on the oil threat?  Okay if you think they have the cajones to do so then I also have a plot of land in Florida that I will sell be the gallon.

These spineless Saudis are threatening the EU not the US for they know that they are protected here by of so many of our politicians.

After thumping their chests in a macho fever they then had a coffee and decided that they need to look as if they would cooperate…….

With international pressure on Saudi Arabia seeming to intensify by the day, the Saudis have agreed to a joint inspection of their consulate in Istanbul with Turkish officials. The inspection will take place Monday, almost two weeks after journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the facility, reports the AP. The Turks say that a Saudi hit team murdered and dismembered the frequent critic of the regime inside the consulate, while the Saudis say he left unharmed. Over the weekend, President Trump warned of “severe punishment” if the Turkish allegations are true, while the Saudis suggested that they could torpedo the world economy in response to any penalties.

In another sign of the pressure building on Saudi Arabia, JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon announced that he would not attend the marquis Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh. Other business execs had previously announced they would skip as well, but Dimon is the biggest world financier to pull out, reports the Wall Street Journal. He had been scheduled as a featured speaker. JPMorgan has ties with Saudi Arabia that go back to the 1930s, notes the newspaper.

The list keeps growing of companies pulling out of the “Davos of the Desert” in Saudi Arabia…..https://www.businessinsider.com/businesses-cutting-ties-with-saudi-arabia-over-jamal-khashoggi-disappearance-2018-10

Finally an article entitled “The Saudi Collapse”…..an interesting read indeed….

The Saudis are doubling down on their denial that they had anything to do with the disappearance of Washington Post journalist and sometime Saudi insider Jamal Khashoggi: “enemies of the Kingdom,” they say are responsible. Nowadays that includes an awful lot of people, as the Washington cognoscenti rush to distance themselves from a regime once hailed as an exemplar of “reform.” It’s a stampede for the door, and soon there will be no on left standing: one rarely sees a collapse like this, at least when it comes to entire countries. One minute they’re on top of the world with Donald Trump, playing with swords and getting away with murder: the next minute they’re international pariahs.

https://original.antiwar.com/justin/2018/10/14/the-saudi-collapse/

This situation is no done……but Our Dear Supreme Leader to generate something that can replace the focus of the media.

What will it be?

After writing draft more news has come out…..this is for all those naysayers that doubt the news…..the Saudis have given confirmation (sort of)……

Saudi Arabia is preparing to say that Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed by mistake during an interrogation that went too far, CNN reports. According to two unidentified sources, the Saudis will claim that Khashoggi was interrogated without clearance, and those behind it will be held responsible. But one source says the Saudi report is still in progress and might change. CNN’s story adds to an earlier New York Times report that Saudi Arabia plans to blame Khashoggi’s death on a “tragically incompetent” intelligence official. That official wasn’t identified but is apparently a friend of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.  (There goes another head!)

“We are hearing from the sources at this stage that [the operation] was not carried out with the proper clearance,” says CNN’s Clarissa Ward on the air, per the Hill. “There will be plenty of people who will have difficulty swallowing that narrative, [saying] it’s hard to believe anything of this nature, of this sensitivity, could possibly take place without those in power in Saudi Arabia … being privy to it on some level.” Trump said earlier Monday that “rogue killers” may have murdered the journalist, whose death was apparently recorded on his Apple watch.

Kinda sounds like their excuses for killing children in a bus in Yemen…..total bullshit and waffling…..typical of the cowards we now embrace.

I will agree on one part….if the world is going to make this an important news item then so should the deaths caused by the Israelis…..and the Apartheid State they have created.

I have Written!

The Khashoggi Affair

The world is talking about the alleged death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi….I have been told that there is no proof he was killed since there was no body (I guess that means that Jimmy Hoffa is still alive and living in Akron)……the problem with that theory is that it is the 21st century and electronics…..

Turkish authorities claim to have audio and video recordings that prove Saudi agents tortured and then murdered Jamal Khashoggi:

The recordings show that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi in the consulate after he walked in on Oct. 2 to obtain an official document before his upcoming wedding, then killed him and dismembered his body, the officials said.

The audio recording in particular provides some of the most persuasive and gruesome evidence that the Saudi team is responsible for Khashoggi’s death, the officials said.

“The voice recording from inside the embassy lays out what happened to Jamal after he entered,” said one person with knowledge of the recording who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss highly sensitive intelligence.

“You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic,” this person said. “You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.”

(antiwar.com)

Really how could they have such recordings?  Ever hear of an Apple Watch?

Turkish officials have an audio recording of the alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Apple Watch he wore when he walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over a week ago, a pro-government Turkish newspaper reported Saturday. The new claim was published by the Sabah newspaper, through which Turkish security officials have leaked much information about the case. Authorities recovered the audio from Khashoggi’s iPhone and his iCloud account, the newspaper said. The journalist had given his phones to his fiancée before entering the consulate. The newspaper also alleged Saudi officials tried to delete the recordings first by incorrectly guessing Khashoggi’s PIN on the watch, then later using the journalist’s finger. However, Apple Watches do not have a fingerprint ID unlock function like iPhones, notes the AP.

An Apple Watch can record audio and can sync that later with an iPhone over a Bluetooth connection. The newspaper’s account did not elaborate on how the Apple Watch synced that information to both the phone and Khashoggi’s iCloud account. Saudi Arabia has maintained the allegations against it are “baseless,” though an official early Saturday acknowledged for the first time some believe Khashoggi was killed by the kingdom. Turkish officials say they believe a 15-member Saudi “assassination squad” killed Khashoggi at the consulate; a Saudi-owned satellite news channel has begun referring to the 15-man team as “tourists,” without providing evidence to support the claim.

Funny how these apologists for the Saudis try to make light of the death of this man…..so sad.

Further Reading into the death of a journalist:

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/12/the-khashoggi-incident-trumps-special-relationship-with-the-saudi-monarchy/

Can the Trump stumble bum policies do anything?

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-10-11/jamal-khashoggi-case-trump-has-options-with-saudi-arabia

Trump and his family may not be quick to try and make the Saudis accountable for barbaric behavior…..the rest of the world has stepped up while the US waffles…..

The Future Investment Initiative conference scheduled for later this month in Saudi Arabia looks to be in serious peril at this point, as the international backlash against Saudi Arabia over the disappearance, and presumptive killing, of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has soured many on having anything to do with the kingdom.

That isolation has meant that most of the major media partners meant to cover this conference have already withdrawn. The World Bank has also withdrawn, and a growing number of top business figures and financiers are pulling out as well.

Khashoggi disappeared earlier this month after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials say they have video evidence that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate, explaining why he never was seen again.

Though the Saudis have denied any wrongdoing, there is growing backlash internationally, by both governments and private entities, over what is believed to have happened.

(antiwar.com)

This is how the Saudi butt boy responds to this situation……

https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/donald-trump-jr-jamal-khashoggi-terrorism#.W8HzDfgnXsQ

Idle words from a privileged little prick.

The question has been asked…..Is this the end of the US-Saudi alliance?

The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi last Tuesday is threatening to upend the terms of the decadeslong alliance between the United States and Saudi Arabia. In the nine days since Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian resident of Virginia and a Washington Post columnist, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, politicians, media figures, and foreign policy elites — even those who have fawned over the authoritarian Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — have grown increasingly critical of the U.S.-Saudi alliance.

The U.S. has long given the Saudis a blank check, politically and militarily, and there have been voices advocating for a rethinking of that decades-old relationship for nearly as long as it has lasted. But the widespread belief that the Saudis assassinated Khashoggi inside their consulate has brought those voices squarely into the center. Suddenly, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States is being called into fundamental question.

https://theintercept.com/2018/10/11/is-this-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-us-saudi-alliance/

My thought is that very little can break the financial bonds that the US depends on for the profits of our M-IC.

And the beat goes on……

There will be more to come…….

Turn The Page!

The Saudi Connection

There is a lot of info in this post and will take time to take it all in but it is a subject that deserves your attention…..the murder of a journalist for doing his duty has to be a crime against freedom and humanity.

I have been following and writing about the plight of WaPo journalist Khashoggi…….https://lobotero.com/2018/10/10/a-price-to-pay-to-criticize-the-saudis/

In the days since I wrote my piece more has come to light….

Turkish officials have stepped up accusations against Saudi Arabia over the apparent assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, saying that the order to assassinate him came from the “highest” levels of the Saudi royal court.

On top of this, Turkish officials named 15 Saudi men that they have identified as “operatives” involved in the assassination of Khashoggi. The group included a Saudi special forces member, two royal guards, and a chief in the internal security agency.

Saudi officials have denied that anything at all happened to Khashoggi, saying he entered the consulate on October 2 and left unharmed. Turkish officials claimed unspecified confidential intelligence that he is dead. His body has not been found, but there has been no sign of him since this visit.

Turkey even his video of this putative assassination team, who all arrived in Turkey on two Gulfstream jets. That Turkey was so easily able to identify this group, and that they arrived in such a conspicuous manner suggests that the Saudis did little to cover their actions, and may even have figured being implicated would intimidate other dissidents.

(antiwar.com)

Even Trump has weighed in but his words are hollow knowing the relationship his family has with the Saudis…..

President Trump has confirmed that he has talked to officials at the highest levels of the Saudi government as well about the matter.

Trump says he want the US to get to the bottom of the incident. He told reporters that the US is “demanding everything” and considers the matter a very serious situation, adding the US is working closely with Turkey.

(antiwar.com)

Our Congressional entities have demanded also……

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) spoke to reporters Wednesday, reporting that it would be a “game changer” if the Saudis had in any way mistreated Khashoggi. Since early indications are that the Saudis had him killed and chopped into bits, that’s going to be tough for Graham to back away from if this turns out to be the case.

Sen. Graham and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) both warned there’d be “hell to pay” if the Saudis were behind the journalist’s disappearance. It seems that’s an even safer bet, and while Graham didn’t want to elaborate on what that meant, he did say he thinks the Saudis “know what it means.”

(antiwar.com)

A game changer?  Seriously?  Why do I not believe a damn word these tools say?

Then there is a piece that says that US intel could have warned the journalist of his impending fate…..

http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/10/us-intelligence-had-a-duty-to-warn-khashoggi-why-didnt-that-happen.html

I shall continue to watch this story and ask those questions that need answering…..

And this is the bullshit that I was talking about….this from Our Dear Leader……..

A new twist in the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi: American officials knew months ago that Saudi Arabia was plotting against the journalist, sources tell the Washington Post. The sources say US intelligence intercepts discovered a plan to lure Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi monarchy, back to the kingdom from him home in Virginia and detain him. The operation was ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the sources say. Several of Khashoggi’s friends tell the Post that Saudi officials had called him repeatedly in recent months to offer him protection—and a government job—if he returned to his homeland, but he said he “didn’t trust them one bit.” Turkish authorities believe Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents during a visit to the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2.

President Trump vowed Wednesday that he would “get to the bottom” of the case, the BBC reports. “We cannot let this happen to reporters, to anybody,” he said. But he said blocking US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, a move some lawmakers are calling for, could be a step too far, the AP reports. “I think that would be hurting us,” Trump said. “We have jobs, we have a lot of things happening in this country … and frankly I think that that would be a very, very tough pill to swallow for our country.” A bipartisan group of senators urged Trump to impose sanctions on anybody found responsible for the disappearance. GOP Sen. Bob Corker, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said “everything points to” Saudi involvement. (An Apple Watch could reveal what happened to Khashoggi.)

What kind of person authorizes the dismemberment of another human being?

Further news as of the draft date…..

I wasn’t planning to write about the barbaric murder of my friend, Jamal Khashoggi. We were supposed to be sharing a panel at a conference two weeks from now.

The Saudi journalist, who disappeared a week ago while inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, has been executed by a Saudi hit squad with Islamic State-like barbarity.

Some may think that a murder at the Saudi consulate, which – according to the rules of diplomacy – is considered Saudi territory, is merely a Saudi problem. However, this incident may create the perception that any Saudi diplomatic mission could be a potential crime scene.

https://theantimedia.com/barbaric-murder-jamal-khashoggi/

Time for these Saudis to act like a civilized country or turn them into an international outcast they should be….

Politico ask a question that we all should be asking…….

President Donald Trump’s desire to maintain strong ties to Saudi Arabia is facing its biggest test yet: allegations that Riyadh ordered the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist who had been living in the United States.

Calls are mounting for the Trump administration to find out what happened to Jamal Khashoggi. Republicans and Democrats in Congress have taken steps to force a government investigation. Khashoggi’s fiancée has pleaded for Trump to “help shed light on Jamal’s disappearance.” The fury has grown after a Washington Postreport that U.S. intelligence knew of Saudi plans to abduct Khashoggi, raising questions about whether the administration failed to warn the journalist.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/10/trump-saudis-journalist-disappearance-890411

My guess that he will get some vague crap from the lips of these murdering swine and say that he accepts their lies.

The American Conservative sees it differently……

There has already been a significant response from members of Congress to reports of the Saudi government’s murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Sen. Rand Paul is proposing to force a vote to halt all military assistance and ties to the Saudi military:

This week, I intend to introduce another measure to cut all funding, training, advising, and any other coordination to and with the military of Saudi Arabia until the journalist Jamal Khashoggi is returned alive.

Sen. Paul’s proposal is consistent with the “fundamental break” with Saudi Arabia that Sen. Chris Murphy spoke about a few days ago. It is a break that has needed to happen for many years, and the Saudis’ latest crime may prove to be the last straw for many people in Congress.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-overdue-backlash-against-saudi-arabia-has-started/

All I can say in closing is…..do not trust Rand Paul to do the right thing….he has failed to do so time after time.

Leave it to Our Dear Supreme Leader to put a price on a human life…..an arms deal is the price.

This is so sad that this asshole could be the president of my country!

Turn The Page!

Updated 12Oct18 0625hrs…..

Turkish officials say they have audio and video evidence proving that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was tortured and murdered inside Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate. The officials, speaking under condition of anonymity, tell the Washington Post that the audio evidence is extremely graphic. “The voice recording from inside the embassy lays out what happened to Jamal after he entered,” one source says. “You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured, and then murdered.” Sources tell the Wall Street Journal that Turkish officials have shared the evidence with their American counterparts and are discussing how and when it should be publicly released. The Post‘s sources say officials are worried that releasing the recording will reveal that they spy on foreign consulates.

President Trump confirmed Thursday that investigators are looking into the disappearance of Khashoggi, who was a US resident, but he rejected suggestions US arms sales to Saudi Arabia should be cut off, the Guardian reports. “I don’t like stopping massive amounts of money that’s being poured into our country,” he said. “They are spending $110 billion on military equipment and on things that create jobs for this country.” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the Saudi ambassador to the US, Khalid bin Salman, returned to his homeland Thursday and the US will expect information from him when he returns. The ambassador is the younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who allegedly ordered a plot to lure Khashoggi from Virginia back to Saudi Arabia.

A Price To Pay To Criticize The Saudis!

The big international story right now is the possible assassination of a WaPo journalist, Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey…..

Missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey by a 15-member team dispatched by Riyadh specifically to murder him, two Turkish officials tell the Washington Post. “It was a preplanned murder,” one says. A third backs up that account. “The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr. Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul,” the official tells the AP. “We believe that the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate.” Khashoggi friend Turan Kislakci told the AP on Sunday that officials told him, “He was killed, make your funeral preparations. We called a few other places, these are lower officials, but they said: ‘We have evidence he was killed in a barbaric way.'” Khashoggi was made to “faint,” then dismembered, officials told him.

Khashoggi, who wrote for the Post and often critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was at the consulate to complete paperwork so that he could marry his Turkish fiance. Saudi Arabia, which contends that Khashoggi left the consulate without incident, pushed back on the report, saying that an official at the consulate “expressed doubt that they came from Turkish officials that are informed of the investigation or are authorized to comment on the issue.”

Further incidents keep pointing to some sort of wrong doing by the Saudis…..security film has gone “missing”……

Security camera footage was removed from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and Turkish staff were abruptly told to take a holiday on the day the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared while inside the building, Turkish authorities have claimed.

A week after Khashoggi vanished in the heart of Turkey’s biggest city, details of the investigation into his disappearance continued to point towards Riyadh having ordered Khashoggi’s seizure.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/09/khashoggi-case-cctv-disappears-from-saudi-consulate-in-turkey

At late events are changing almost momentarily…….Turkey will be given access to the Saudi consulate….but any evidence will be long gone, IMO……

Turkey said Tuesday it will search the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as it investigates why journalist Jamal Khashoggi vanished there a week ago, an extraordinary probe of a diplomatic post amid Turkish officials’ fears the writer had been killed inside the building. That Saudi Arabia would allow foreigners to enter a consulate and search it shows the growing international pressure the kingdom faces over the disappearance of Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post who has criticized the Saudi government. The Saudis have called allegations of any involvement in his disappearance “baseless,” but had no immediate comment on Turkey’s announcement. It remained unclear when the search would take place, reports the AP.

So far, the kingdom has offered no evidence in the past seven days to show the 59-year-old ever left the building, as a new surveillance photo surfaced that showed him walking in on Oct. 2 to obtain paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancée. The door Khashoggi used appeared to be the main entrance of the consulate in Istanbul’s 4th Levent neighborhood, a leafy, upscale district that’s home to several other consulates. The consulate has other entrances and exits as well, and Saudi officials insist he left through one of them, though they have offered no surveillance footage or evidence to corroborate their claims. Two Turkish officials previously told the Post they believe a 15-person team killed him within the consulate and possibly dismembered him, though Turkey has provided no evidence to that end. Read more on their claims here.

I have been waiting for someone in our government to do more than shake their head and say “those darn Saudis” under their breath…..Rand Paul steps up……

The latest fallout from the disappearance and presumptive murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi could see the Saudis losing their main source of arms. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says he intends to force a vote on blocking further US arms sales to the Saudi kingdom.

Sen. Paul announced the plan on a local radio show, saying he hopes to force a vote in the Senate by the end of the week which would force a full halt to US arms shipments if there is “any indication” the Saudis are behind killing Khashoggi.

(antiwar.com)

I would like to see this criticism go deeper than Paul for he has proven to be a media whore looking for headlines more than change.

The more we see of this crown prince ,MbS, the more savagery we see around him….is this the ally we want in an unstable region?