Opinion: Trump and Money Are Shielding Saudi Arabia From Accountability for Khashoggi’s Killing
By Opinion
Published 4 years ago on
October 3, 2019
Share
[aggregation-styles]
The Los Angeles Times Subscription
The Los Angeles Times Subscription
Following the brutal killing of Saudi dissident and Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, one year ago, the Saudi government became something of a toxic commodity in American politics. Several high-profile lobbying and public relations firms dropped the Saudis as a client. Think tanks, including the Brookings Institution, severed ties with the Saudi government. Businesses pulled out of a major conference in Riyadh shortly after Khashoggi’s death.
As the U.S. intelligence community, and the United Nations, were determining that Saudi Arabia was culpable in the killing, members of Congress demanded accountability. Democrats led the charge on a series of bills that would have halted U.S. arms sales to the kingdom and ended U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition’s disastrous war in Yemen. Republicans were outraged too. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who claimed on “Fox & Friends” to have once been Saudi Arabia’s “biggest defender on the floor of the United States Senate,” announced shortly after Khashoggi’s death that Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “has got to go.” The crown prince denies a role in Khashoggi’s death; the U.N. sees credible evidence warranting further investigation.
As the U.S. intelligence community, and the United Nations, were determining that Saudi Arabia was culpable in the killing, members of Congress demanded accountability. Democrats led the charge on a series of bills that would have halted U.S. arms sales to the kingdom and ended U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition’s disastrous war in Yemen. Republicans were outraged too. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who claimed on “Fox & Friends” to have once been Saudi Arabia’s “biggest defender on the floor of the United States Senate,” announced shortly after Khashoggi’s death that Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “has got to go.” The crown prince denies a role in Khashoggi’s death; the U.N. sees credible evidence warranting further investigation.
By Ben Freeman and William D. Hartung | 2 Oct 2019
RELATED TOPICS:
No data was found
California Law Enforcement Agencies Obstruct Transparency Efforts in Use-of-Force Cases
News /
37 mins ago
Fresno County Tackles Animal Overpopulation with New Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program
Animals /
1 hour ago
Fallen Crypto Mogul Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison
Business /
2 hours ago
Tonight’s Biden Fundraiser With Obama and Clinton Already Nets a Record $25 Million
News /
3 hours ago
Ukrainian Navy Says a Third of Russian Warships in the Black Sea Have Been Destroyed or Disabled
World /
14 hours ago
Wired Wednesday: How Going to Work for Trump Turned Devin Nunes Into a Millionaire
Business /
19 hours ago
Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates
OAKLAND — A former correctional officer at a federal California women’s prison known for numerous misconduct allegations was sentenced...
Crime /
3 mins ago
Categories
Latest
Videos
Crime /
3 mins ago
Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates
Sports /
21 mins ago
Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win
News /
37 mins ago
California Law Enforcement Agencies Obstruct Transparency Efforts in Use-of-Force Cases
Animals /
1 hour ago
Fresno County Tackles Animal Overpopulation with New Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program
Business /
2 hours ago
Fallen Crypto Mogul Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison
Business /
19 hours ago
Wired Wednesday: How Going to Work for Trump Turned Devin Nunes Into a Millionaire
Video /
1 week ago
News Minute: Snell’s $62M Giants Contract, Boomtown Clovis, Banksy’s Latest Mural
Latest /
1 week ago