Tweets Of The Day -- The Sawdis' Man In Washington

Another stain that will never wash out:

The WH has issued a statement about "standing with Saudi Arabia."

On Khashoggi's murder (in part): "Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event—maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!"

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 20, 2018

In summary, Trump is saying (again): Saudi Arabia is very important for the economy and for national security, so he's standing with them no matter what happened with Khashoggi, which is, in his view, impossible to determine.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) November 20, 2018

Imagine being tortured and dismembered and then having the president of the country that is supposed to hold your killers accountable instead repeat their smears against you while he gives them a pass.

That’s what just happened.

— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) November 20, 2018

This is, hands down, the worst statement I have ever seen come out of a White House & an astonishing abdication of morals, values, principles, & decency. Anyone involved in this policy or the drafting of this travesty of a statement should be deeply ashamed. https://t.co/8oWWE27JGx

— Bathsheba Crocker (@shebacrocker) November 20, 2018

An abomination that will define the ignorance, corruption, cruelty and recklessness of this presidency for generations to come:

Statement from President Donald J. Trump on Standing with Saudi Arabia | The White House https://t.co/jxrX1LA0tP

— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) November 20, 2018

Trump Covers & Excuses Saudi Murderers. No American is safe overseas now. “(Saudis) say that Jamal Khashoggi was an “enemy of the state” and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but my decision is in no way based on that ...”  https://t.co/WXuz8ytt7P

— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) November 20, 2018

"Enemy of the state."  Yes, we saw that, too.

"Killing Two Birds With One Stone"

The corrupt bargain that's emerging between the Saudi regime led by bloodthirsty Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and the rotted out Trump regime to cover up MBS' role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi now includes a rather interesting detail:

Inside his royal palace in Riyadh, Mohammed bin Salman is said to have alternated between dark brooding and rampaging anger in the days after the death of Jamal Khashoggi, as Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, or MBS, as he is widely known, looked for someone to blame for what Turkish officials have said was the journalist’s grisly murder. 

One possible scapegoat, according to several sources, may be Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, the deputy chief of Saudi intelligence. Assiri “has made numerous approaches to MBS on taking actions against Khashoggi and others,” said one source who is familiar with Western intelligence reports.  (our emphasis)

That name -- Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri -- wouldn't ring a bell with most of us, but it did with Rachel Maddow, who connects the dots back to the Mueller investigation for us:



Just like two mob families looking out for each other.

BONUS:  The coincidences just keep piling up.

BONUS II: And another one that looks like a hit.

The Con Man And The Crown Prince

The framers of the Constitution recognized the potential danger of Federal office holders receiving gifts and bribes from foreign nations in order to influence them, hence its emoluments clause. That provision has been repeatedly violated by fraudster and sociopath Donald "Rump" Trump, who retains ownership of the Trump Organization which accepts payments for properties and hotel services from foreign potentates. The payments ultimately accrue to Rump's personal wealth. Lawsuits against his criminal pursuit of financial gain while in office are being pursued by the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia.

With the murder last week of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a hit team apparently sent by the Saudi regime, and Rump's ambivalent response to it, there are concerns about Rump's financial ties to the corrupt Saudis which will likely influence any response he may have (money-grubbing Jared "Mr. Ivanka Trump" Kushner also has ties to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's piggy bank, as we noted yesterday). Rump's financial ties with the Saudi royals go back decades, as his frequent bankruptcies and business mismanagement required him to look for non-traditional sources -- including daddy Trump -- to keep his businesses afloat.

Rump's ties to Russian organized crime / Kremlin money is well-documented, most recently by investigative journalist Craig Unger in his book "House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia."  Rump's a terrible businessman, but he knows not to bite the hand that feeds him. That holds true for Saudi princes and their courtiers who've bought millions in real estate from him, among other favors. Perhaps Unger can write a sequel: "House of Trump, House of Mohammed bin Salman: You Wash My Back, I'll Wash Yours."

(photo: Head bowed in deference to one of his financiers, Rump greets thuggish Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Nicholas Kamm/AFP)