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C.I.A. Concludes That Saudi Crown Prince Ordered Khashoggi Killed
The Central Intelligence Agency has concluded that the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, ordered the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to American officials.
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 increasingly definitive assessment from the spy agency creates a problem for President Trump, who has tied his administration to Prince Mohammed and proclaimed him the future of Saudi Arabia, a longtime American ally. But the new assessment by the C.I.A. is sure to harden the resolve of lawmakers on Capitol Hill to continue to investigate the killing of Mr. Khashoggi and punish Saudi Arabia.
Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, has been particularly close to Prince Mohammed. Mr. Kushner has long advocated that a strong relationship with the Saudis is in the United States' interest, and he has pushed to maintain support for the crown prince despite the death of Mr. Khashoggi, who Saudi officials now say was killed with a lethal dose of tranquilizers and dismembered. Previously, Saudi officials said that Mr. Khashoggi had been strangled.
[...] Neither administration officials nor intelligence officers believe the controversy over Mr. Khashoggi will drive Prince Mohammed from power, which is one reason White House officials believe cutting ties with the prince would not be in the interest of the United States.
takyon: The Saudis have denied the reports.
See also: Saudi media ignore US reports on Khashoggi
Top White House Official Involved in Saudi Sanctions Resigns
Previously: Turkey Says that a Missing Critic of the Saudi Government was Killed in Saudi Consulate in Istanbul
Saudi Arabia Reportedly Prepared to Admit Involvement in Journalist's Death
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 18 2018, @01:28AM (6 children)
So the crown prince denies it, and Saudi Arabia is going to convict several people for Khashoggi's murder (five are facing the death penalty). It's amazing how the five who will be executed, as well as the others who will simply spend the rest of their lives in prison, are willing to suffer their fates just to protect the reputation of the crown prince. But it's all theater because the rest of the world still thinks the crown prince was behind it.
I suppose the real question is what fallout Saudi Arabia will suffer now that they are trying to construct plausible deniability? The US president loves Saudi Arabia so I doubt the US will do much of anything. The EU have more backbone, but they don't have many oil resources so they may not have the ability to hammer Saudi Arabia (unless they get further in bed with Russia's oil teat).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 18 2018, @03:19AM
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday November 18 2018, @10:09AM (3 children)
Or Iranian oil - not like the European retreated from the treaty with Iran.
Or they go and economically assist Algeria (you know? Just to stop those boats without sinking them), stabilize it and then enter in mutually beneficial trade agreements with it - I reckon the Italians would be happy to run some development projects in Algeria on European money, I hear Italy need some funds almost as bad as Greece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by quietus on Sunday November 18 2018, @12:04PM (2 children)
Might it be that you confuse Algeria [wikipedia.org] with Libya [libyaobserver.ly]?
As to Italy needing some funds almost as bad as Greece: the country has a nominal GDP of over two trillion [wikipedia.org] US dollars, or 31,984$ per capita [wikipedia.org] -- officially, i.e. not counting the 'irregular' economy.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday November 18 2018, @02:42PM
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday November 18 2018, @09:13PM
Yes, indeed Libya.
Italy - a deficit of 130% GDP [theguardian.com]? Or only 126% [bloomberg.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 19 2018, @01:58AM
My guess is that the five to be executed are the five that can tie MBS to the killing.