A Review of U.S. – Saudi Relations Is Coming (and Who Could Be Caught up in It?)

Sometimes you just have to clean all the skeletons out of your closets, in order to start fresh.

We are at a point in time where the stench of how the brutal murder of U.S. resident and journalist, Jamal Khashoggi was handled requires a thorough going over.

Representative Eliot Engel, who will be taking over the House Foreign Affairs Committee, once Democrats take the majority in the House, is prepared to do just that. Maybe not coincidentally, that bit of cleaning may sweep up White House senior adviser and Trump son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

From CNN:

Engel is “committed to conducting a top-to-bottom review of U.S. policy towards Saudi Arabia and that includes what has driven the US response to the Jamal Khashoggi murder,” said spokesman Tim Mulvey, referring to the October killing of The Washington Post journalist in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Asked if that meant probing the ties between Kushner and the crown prince, Mulvey said: “Everything is on the table.”

Should I remind everyone again “what has driven the U.S. response,” at least as it pertains to the Trump administration?

“Saudi Arabia…they buy apartments from me, they spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”

This is why @realDonaldTrump is protecting the Saudi Crown Prince from murder. It's also the reason Trump needs to be removed from office. pic.twitter.com/2sk6p83HiW

— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) November 19, 2018

That’s right.

It should be an embarrassment that no one in the GOP has made an active move to investigate what happened here. Why has this been allowed to go on unchecked?

As it is, we could possibly see a vote by the Republican majority Senate as early as this week, regarding whether or not to withdraw the support of the United States for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

There is also a possibility of seeing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote on legislation that would suspend arms sales to the Saudi government, as well as sanctioning those beasts individuals responsible for the murder of Khashoggi.

By “individuals” we’re not just talking about the coldblooded ghouls that used a bone saw to dismember a man while he was still alive, but also the demon that ordered the murder – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

This whole nightmare came as retaliation for Khashoggi’s outspoken opposition to the Saudi royal family, and in particular, the crown prince (MBS).

To recap, Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on October 2, 2018, after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, seeking paperwork on the divorce from his first wife, in order that he could be married again to Hatice Cengiz, his fiancée, who waited outside for him.

He never returned.

After denials turned to tales of a questioning that went bad, the horrific truth of Khashoggi’s disappearance was made public.

Not only was the journalist ambushed by MBS’ thugs, but he had full knowledge of the events, and those events were carried out with his approval.

Other nations have already stepped away from the Saudi government, in protest of the event.

The United States still clings, with President Trump balking at the idea of giving up a big money arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, it’s not even a deal that has been completed. At best, it’s a vague discussion of deals that could maybe be set.

For the time being,  Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican and the ranking Democrat, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, are hashing out the details of the legislation that would move the U.S. on to the side of humanity, when dealing with the Saudi government.

Kushner in particular has come under intense scrutiny given his close relationship with the crown prince. A New York Times investigation on Sunday showed that Kushner sought to counsel the prince to weather the storm in the aftermath of the murder. The White House has emphasized the importance of maintaining strong Saudi relations for the benefit of the US economy.

Seriously. A U.S. resident is slaughtered, and Kushner wants to help the butcher?

The House Foreign Affairs Committee, which has oversight of the State Department, is not the only panel planning an examination over the aftermath of the Khashoggi murder and the White House’s efforts to downplay it. The House Intelligence Committee, which has jurisdiction over the CIA, plans to look into the matter as well.

Good. Every bit of that is good.

Just go ahead and add it to the growing mountain of investigations involving this administration.  Maybe we’ll have an answer before a new administration takes over.