The majority of analysts have concluded, although without direct proof,t hat Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It seems logical, considering the power he has over the kingdom, and that a major operation like this, conducted inside of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, would be known to him, and only go forward if he approved it.
About two weeks ago, CIA analysts leaked an assessment that concluded MbS surely knew what was going on, with a U.S. official stating:
"The accepted position is that there is no way this happened without him being aware or involved."
A small group of Republicans have joined the fray in accepting this conclusion. The new consensus developed after they met for a secret briefing with CIA chief Gina Haspel on Tuesday. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters:
"There's not a smoking gun, there's a smoking saw."
"I think he's complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi to the highest level possible."
Sen.Graham also said he won't support any more wpoeans sales by the U.S. to Saudi Arabia. That is, untnil everyone who is responsible for the Kashoggi murder are brought to justice. What a great guy, still willing to sell them weapons in a war on Yemen,a s long as the Khashoggi killers are dealt with.It seems Sen. Grahams support of Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) resolution to end military support for Saudi Arabia is just a political front.
Sen. Graham also said:
"0 chance that this happened in such an organized fashion without Crown Prince [being involved]...I have great respect for Pompeo & Mattis [but] If they were in a Dem administration, I would be all over them for being in the pocket of Saudi Arabia"
Another senator who attended, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) agrees with the CIA assessment, saying:
"All evidence points to that, that all this leads back to the crown prince."
The recent statements by republicans put them at odds with republican President Donal Trump who has questioned whether MbS was behind it, and even intimated that it doesn't matter, saying it might be impossible to really knwo if he waqs behind it. but even if he was, selling them weapons matters too much:
"We're not going to give up hundreds of billions of dollars in orders...Saudi Arabia, if we broke with them, I think your oil prices would go through the roof."
References:
- Republicans After Briefing With CIA Chief: Yeah, Saudi Crown Prince Definitely Had Jamal Khashoggi Killed
- Leaked CIA Intercepts Show Saudi Crown Prince Communicated with Khashoggi Kill Team Supervisor Right Before and After the Murder
- U.S. Sanctions 17 Saudis; 5 Saudis Get Death Penalty for Murder; CIA Says Crown Prince Ordered Hit; Senate Proposes Ban on Arms Sales To Saudis
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