Much like the current WH is democracy gone wrong, underlings are at fault, and a Global Magnitsky Act becomes toothless, because Trump trusts the word of dictators who buy weapons from us.
Because whenever you die under enhanced interrogation, your body automatically gets dismembered while your fiancée waits outside the consulate. As the Saudis might tell it (and Trump might agree), torture without transparency and clearance is only a suggested guideline.
There were inklings of this Monday after Trump spoke by phone with Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz and was assured that the missing journalist and American resident had not — as Turkish officials allege — been murdered by a Saudi assassin team, possibly on the orders of the king's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump seemed impressed with the king's disavowal: "His denial to me could not have been stronger. (It) was not only a denial, it was a very firm denial."
"Maybe these could have been rogue killers," Trump later told reporters, "Who knows?"
Sound familiar? Remember Helsinki in July and Vladimir Putin's assurances that Russia played no role in undermining American democracy in the 2016 presidential election: "I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today."
Back during the campaign, Trump argued that maybe "somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds" interfered in the election. Of course, 25 Russians, including a dozen military spies, were later indicted for those crimes.
Trump was still making excuses for Russia on Sunday night's "60 Minutes," suggesting that China played a greater role in election interference. "Frankly," he said, "China is a bigger problem."
www.usatoday.com/...
Trump is simply clueless about being a head of state.
Ankara, Turkey (CNN) The Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death was the result of an interrogation that went wrong, one that was intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey, according to two sources.
One source says the report will likely conclude that the operation was carried out without clearance and transparency and that those involved will be held responsible.
One of the sources acknowledged that the report is still being prepared and cautioned that things could change.
The Washington Post columnist was last seen in public when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in Turkey on October 2. Previously, Saudi authorities had maintained Khashoggi left the consulate the same afternoon of his visit, but provided no evidence to support the claim.
[...]
Earlier Monday, President Donald Trump suggested that "
rogue killers" could be behind Khashoggi's disappearance, after a phone call with Saudi Arabia's King Salman about the case. Trump said King Salman told him "in a very firm way that they had no knowledge of it."
Later Monday, Trump said he had seen the latest media reports. But he said he did not know if the report is accurate or just "rumor."
“This is a brazen assault on the freedom of the press and a slap in the face to the United States, if this murder occurred, as it seems it did,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who’s planning to again partner with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on forcing a vote on the next Saudi arms sale that’s formally sent to Congress.
That sale could sit in limbo for longer than expected, given the informal hold imposed in June by New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the Democrats’ senior member on the Foreign Relations panel. Once any new Saudi arms deal comes before Congress, any measure disapproving of it would get privileged consideration in the Senate but not in the House. That could put more pressure on the Trump administration to resolve lawmakers’ concerns with U.S.-Saudi ties while Republicans still control the House, giving them power to slow down any blockade attempts.
www.politico.com/...