U.S. report on Khashoggi death expected to single out Saudi crown prince-sources

[webfact]

U.S. report on Khashoggi death expected to single out Saudi crown prince-sources

By Mark Hosenball, Jonathan Landay and Trevor Hunnicutt

 

FILE PHOTO: The Committee to Protect Journalists and other press freedom activists hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Saudi Embassy to mark the anniversary of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Wednesday evening in Washington, U.S., October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A declassified version of a U.S. intelligence report expected to be released on Thursday finds that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, four U.S. officials familiar with the matter said.

 

The officials said the report, for which the CIA was the main contributor, assessed that the crown prince approved and likely ordered the murder of Khashoggi, whose Washington Post column had criticized the crown prince’s policies.

 

President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded the Republican Donald Trump five weeks ago, told reporters on Wednesday he had read the report and expected to speak soon by phone with Saudi Arabian King Salman, 85, father of the crown prince, the country's 35-year-old de facto ruler.

 

The report's release is part of Biden's policy to realign ties with Riyadh after years of giving the Arab ally and major oil producer a pass on its human rights record and its intervention in Yemen’s civil war.

 

Biden is working to restore the relationship with Riyadh to traditional lines after four years of cozier ties under Trump.

 

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday Biden would only communicate with the Saudi king and said the declassified Khashoggi report was being readied for release soon.

 

While Biden restricts his contacts to the king, others in the Biden administration are talking to Saudi officials at various levels.

 

"We have been in touch with Saudi officials at numerous levels in the early weeks of this administration," said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

 

The 59-year old Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018, and killed by a team of operatives linked to the crown prince. They then dismembered his body.

 

His remains have never been found.

 

Riyadh eventually admitted that Khashoggi was killed in a “rogue” extradition operation gone wrong, but it denied any involvement by the crown prince. Five men given the death penalty for the murder had their sentences commuted to 20 years in jail after being forgiven by Khashoggi’s family.

 

In 2019, a U.N. human rights investigator, Agnes Callamard, accused Saudi Arabia of a "deliberate, premeditated execution" of Khashoggi and called for further investigation.

 

“There is sufficient credible evidence regarding the responsibility of the crown prince demanding further investigation,” Callamard said after the six-month probe.

 

A classified version of the report was shared with members of Congress in late 2018.

 

But the Trump administration rejected demands by lawmakers and human rights groups to release a declassified version, seeking to preserve cooperation amid rising tensions with Riyadh’s regional rival, Iran, and promote U.S. arms sales to the kingdom.

 

Biden's new director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, committed at her confirmation hearing to complying with a provision in a 2019 defense bill that required the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to release within 30 days a declassified report on Khashoggi's murder.

 

Biden pledged during the 2020 presidential campaign to reassess U.S.-Saudi ties in part over Khashoggi’s murder. Since taking office, he has ended sales of offensive arms that Riyadh could use in Yemen and appointed a special envoy to boost diplomatic efforts to end that country’s grueling civil war.

 

(Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington and Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Mary Milliken, Alistair Bell and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-25

 

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[Tug]

Well yea backward nation 

[MisterTee]

5 hours ago, Tug said:

Well yea backward nation 

Just one of many.

   The whole Middle East is a bloody cesspool.

[from the home of CC]

so what? The US/UK will continue to do business with these animals as long as the oil lasts..

[PatOngo]

8 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

so what? The US/UK will continue to do business with these animals as long as the oil lasts..

Animals don't do business, humans do, some of them degenerate!

[Morch]

18 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

so what? The US/UK will continue to do business with these animals as long as the oil lasts..

 

And so would everyone else, without even bothering to condemn their actions. The world is not perfect. I guess the whole point of focusing on MbS is to allow relations to continue unhindered (much). Goes hand in hand with the announcement about relationship being henceforth conducted on a peer to peer basis, meaning the king.

[MisterTee]

17 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

And so would everyone else, without even bothering to condemn their actions. The world is not perfect. I guess the whole point of focusing on MbS is to allow relations to continue unhindered (much). Goes hand in hand with the announcement about relationship being henceforth conducted on a peer to peer basis, meaning the king.

Nothing really new in that announcement.

   Under Trump the relationship was also peer to peer... prince to prince, Jared and MbS.

[JBChiangRai]

MBS

 

Mohammed Bone Saw 

[malibukid]

Just now, JBChiangRai said:

MBS

 

Mohammed Bone Saw 

rendition with a bone saw

[DaddyWarbucks]

2 hours ago, MisterTee said:

Nothing really new in that announcement.

   Under Trump the relationship was also peer to peer... prince to prince, Jared and MbS.

Jared Kushner...

   Prince of what?

[Pique Dard]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

U.S. report on Khashoggi death expected to single out Saudi crown prince-sources

and then what? nothing, i may say.  the western world (usa)  is too dependent on saudi o

oil

[Jeffr2]

12 hours ago, DaddyWarbucks said:

Jared Kushner...

   Prince of what?

https://www.gq.com/story/kushner-company-flooded-with-money

 

Jared Kushner’s Company Curiously Raked in $90 Million Since He Joined the White House

 

His real estate company, Cadre, has quintupled in value since 2017.

[Proboscis]

On 2/25/2021 at 7:26 AM, Tug said:

Well yea backward nation 

Well, the USA assasinated an Iranian general in a third country when there was no state of war between the USA and Iran. So, perhaps all that can be argued over here is methodology of murder.

 

All Biden can argue is that there is a new broom at the White House. In these hereditory monarchies in the Middle East, this matters for nothing.

 

However, what is different is that the World is changing for these Middle Eastern power elites. Just as the PM of the UAE cannot hide the fact that he victimizes his daughters because they want an education, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia cannot escape being seen to be responsible for ordering the beastiality of killing and hacking up a man in another country just because he did not like his opinions.

 

One of the nuggets mentioned on the BBC World Service was that the private jet used to fly in the kill and dismember team had been one of the assets confiscated from one of the rich billionaires who had been held in the hotel by the Crown Prince in his shakedown of the corrupt. Using a confiscated plane to run a murder in another country hardly covers him in glory!

[Morch]

7 hours ago, Pique Dard said:

and then what? nothing, i may say.  the western world (usa)  is too dependent on saudi o

oil

 

I don't think the West is dependent on Saudi oil. It's interests are more to do with keeping global oil supply and prices under control. Japan, China, India and South Korea are major clients.

[Chomper Higgot]

40 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

I don't think the West is dependent on Saudi oil. It's interests are more to do with keeping global oil supply and prices under control. Japan, China, India and South Korea are major clients.

I think it’s more to do with oil being a commodity traded on international markets, who SA supplies is not as important as how much oil they release into that market, hence stability of market is of concern to all oil users.

[Jeffr2]

4 hours ago, Proboscis said:

Well, the USA assasinated an Iranian general in a third country when there was no state of war between the USA and Iran. So, perhaps all that can be argued over here is methodology of murder.

 

All Biden can argue is that there is a new broom at the White House. In these hereditory monarchies in the Middle East, this matters for nothing.

 

However, what is different is that the World is changing for these Middle Eastern power elites. Just as the PM of the UAE cannot hide the fact that he victimizes his daughters because they want an education, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia cannot escape being seen to be responsible for ordering the beastiality of killing and hacking up a man in another country just because he did not like his opinions.

 

One of the nuggets mentioned on the BBC World Service was that the private jet used to fly in the kill and dismember team had been one of the assets confiscated from one of the rich billionaires who had been held in the hotel by the Crown Prince in his shakedown of the corrupt. Using a confiscated plane to run a murder in another country hardly covers him in glory!

That was Trump, probably taking suggestions from his Jewish son in law Jared. Time for the US to stop treating Israel like the 51st state.

[from the home of CC]

20 hours ago, DaddyWarbucks said:

Jared Kushner...

   Prince of what?

darkness?

[Morch]

45 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

That was Trump, probably taking suggestions from his Jewish son in law Jared. Time for the US to stop treating Israel like the 51st state.

 

Really? You actually think Kushner was behind decisions like assassinating Iranian officials? The US turning a blind eye to bad behavior by ME rulers precedes Kushner by decades. Laying it all on Kushner, or even Trump, is way off mark. And your closing remark had little to do with the post responded to anyway.

 

[Justgrazing]

On 2/24/2021 at 11:20 PM, webfact said:

 

But the Trump administration rejected demands by lawmakers and human rights groups to release a declassified version, seeking to preserve cooperation amid rising tensions with Riyadh’s regional rival, Iran, and promote U.S. arms sales to the kingdom

 

Can't let trivialities like morals and revulsion at medieval murder get in the way of tanks and plane sale contracts .. 

No wonder the Crown Prince is laughing ..

 

 

[Morch]

8 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

 

Can't let trivialities like morals and revulsion at medieval murder get in the way of tanks and plane sale contracts .. 

No wonder the Crown Prince is laughing ..

 

 

 

Did previous administration refrain from selling arms to Saudi Arabia? A fair chunk of the items included in that arms mega-deal Trump was on about was agreed upon during Obama's terms, for example. Many other items "included' were more on the tentative level. As far as I recall, the Saudis were a bit surprised by Trump using the props, and hyping things. More embarrassment than mirth then.

[Jeffr2]

22 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Really? You actually think Kushner was behind decisions like assassinating Iranian officials? The US turning a blind eye to bad behavior by ME rulers precedes Kushner by decades. Laying it all on Kushner, or even Trump, is way off mark. And your closing remark had little to do with the post responded to anyway.

 

Read it and weep....

 

https://theweek.com/speedreads/938050/jared-kushner-strongly-suggests-trump-open-assassinating-foreign-leaders

 

https://www.politico.eu/article/how-trump-decided-to-kill-irans-soleimani/

 

https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/asked-about-plot-to-assassinate-assad-kushner-says-trump-keeps-all-options-on-the-table

 

Hours after President Donald Trump confirmed this week that he initially approved, then abandoned, a plan to kill Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad back in 2017, a top White House official made clear the president does not rule out the use of assassination of other heads of state in the future – even though the practice is forbidden by law.

 

Jared Kushner, the senior White House adviser who is also Mr. Trump's son-in-law – and who therefore speaks for the president with an authority few aides can summon, to the point where he is often described as the second-most powerful man in Washington – made the remarks in an interview with Sinclair at the White House complex on Tuesday afternoon.

 

 

 

[Morch]

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

Read it and weep....

 

https://theweek.com/speedreads/938050/jared-kushner-strongly-suggests-trump-open-assassinating-foreign-leaders

 

https://www.politico.eu/article/how-trump-decided-to-kill-irans-soleimani/

 

https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/asked-about-plot-to-assassinate-assad-kushner-says-trump-keeps-all-options-on-the-table

 

Hours after President Donald Trump confirmed this week that he initially approved, then abandoned, a plan to kill Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad back in 2017, a top White House official made clear the president does not rule out the use of assassination of other heads of state in the future – even though the practice is forbidden by law.

 

Jared Kushner, the senior White House adviser who is also Mr. Trump's son-in-law – and who therefore speaks for the president with an authority few aides can summon, to the point where he is often described as the second-most powerful man in Washington – made the remarks in an interview with Sinclair at the White House complex on Tuesday afternoon.

 

 

 

 

Nothing in the links you provided indicates Kushner was part of the decision making on this one. I get that as someone close to Trump it would seem to be expected, but there is no actual support for this to be found in the links above. There's one instance, in one of the articles, where a list of officials is named, with Kushner missing. The next time he's mentioned is seen talking with Trump after the did was done.

 

That he discussed Trump's view on these matters and offered his own take - not quite the same thing.

[Jeffr2]

39 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

Nothing in the links you provided indicates Kushner was part of the decision making on this one. I get that as someone close to Trump it would seem to be expected, but there is no actual support for this to be found in the links above. There's one instance, in one of the articles, where a list of officials is named, with Kushner missing. The next time he's mentioned is seen talking with Trump after the did was done.

 

That he discussed Trump's view on these matters and offered his own take - not quite the same thing.

It's clearly stated Kushner was. Just like his involvement in most things having to do with the ME.

[Morch]

41 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

It's clearly stated Kushner was. Just like his involvement in most things having to do with the ME.

 

Could you kindly quote the specific reference? I read the articles, but might have missed it. Kushner was, indeed, involved in many of the Trump administration's Middle East policy decisions. However, I am not aware that he played a major role in the more military-related/operational decisions taken.

Edited February 27, 2021 by Morch

[Jeffr2]

1 hour ago, Morch said:

 

Could you kindly quote the specific reference? I read the articles, but might have missed it. Kushner was, indeed, involved in many of the Trump administration's Middle East policy decisions. However, I am not aware that he played a major role in the more military-related/operational decisions taken.

https://www.english.alahednews.com.lb/57531/269

 

On the international level, Ivanka and Jared are probably on the list of those who stood behind the assassination of Iran’s general Qassem Soleimani. Iran has promised that all those who are involved in assassinating general Soleimani will be punished. I

[Proboscis]

On 2/26/2021 at 3:24 PM, Jeffr2 said:

That was Trump, probably taking suggestions from his Jewish son in law Jared. Time for the US to stop treating Israel like the 51st state.

Apparently, back when Bill Clinton was President, he was heard to say something like, "Is he the leader of the biggest power on Earth or am I?" The person he said it about was the then Prime Minister of Israel and, yes, you guessed it, it was Bibi Netanyahu even back then. The man who treats the US as his own second country.

[Morch]

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

https://www.english.alahednews.com.lb/57531/269

 

On the international level, Ivanka and Jared are probably on the list of those who stood behind the assassination of Iran’s general Qassem Soleimani. Iran has promised that all those who are involved in assassinating general Soleimani will be punished. I

 

This wasn't one of the sources you linked earlier.

 

As far as I'm aware, the source you're quoting is a Lebanese, Shi'a affiliated venue. Care to bet how balanced their coverage is?

 

Even the new link provided doesn't actually support your claim. There an allegation ('probably') and nothing more. Do you really think Ivanka was consulted as well?

 

 

[Jeffr2]

11 hours ago, Morch said:

 

This wasn't one of the sources you linked earlier.

 

As far as I'm aware, the source you're quoting is a Lebanese, Shi'a affiliated venue. Care to bet how balanced their coverage is?

 

Even the new link provided doesn't actually support your claim. There an allegation ('probably') and nothing more. Do you really think Ivanka was consulted as well?

 

 

Ok. Then show me an article saying the head of ME decision making, Kushner, wasn't involved.

 

https://www.axios.com/jared-kushner-jake-sullivan-trump-middle-east-037cd166-73e0-4f2b-b370-127fc17c956e.html

 

[Morch]

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

Ok. Then show me an article saying the head of ME decision making, Kushner, wasn't involved.

 

https://www.axios.com/jared-kushner-jake-sullivan-trump-middle-east-037cd166-73e0-4f2b-b370-127fc17c956e.html

 

 

Are you for real? I'm supposed to make your argument for you? You're the one who made a concrete claim, couldn't back it up, resorted to a dodgy source, and still can't make it stick.

 

As said, I do not argue Kushner's involvement and influence with regard to Trump's Middle East policy. Just that this doesn't seemed to be more about diplomacy etc., not military/operational elements. None of the articles you linked support your claim.