Key Senators Say Disappearance of Washington Post Columnist Should End U.S. "Blank Check" to Saudis

[BeckyDem]

October 5 2018, 4:32 pm

The Saudi government’s apparent arrest of dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi is “absolutely unacceptable” and “outrageous,” according to two influential Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

On Tuesday, Khashoggi, a Saudi national and Washington Post columnist, entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to pick up documentation to get married. His fiancee, who was waiting outside, told the New York Times that he had not emerged hours later, and he has not been seen since.

Khashoggi, an former insider who became a staunch critic of Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has been living in self-imposed exile over concerns that he would be arrested during the prince’s crackdown on dissent. Saudi authorities have denied detaining him, but the Turkish government said earlier this week that he was still in the building.

“The administration really needs to step up and protect journalists and freedom of the press. This is outrageous that he’s been somehow disappeared,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told The Intercept. “The administration needs to demand his release.”

https://theintercept.com/2018/10/05/key-senators-say-disappearance-of-washington-post-columnist-should-end-u-s-blank-check-to-saudi-arabia/

[Aristus]

1. I agree. We've been propping up the Saudis for far too long.

Bunch of rich, lazy-ass jerks.

When I was in the Gulf in 1991, there was a large post exchange (PX) down the street from our quarters. And there were always Sergeants and Corporals in the Saudi Army cruising around in front in Cadillacs and other luxury cars, trying to con American soldiers into exchanging Saudi riyals for US dollars so they could shop there.

Even low-ranking Saudi troops had non-Saudi 'guest-workers' to do all of the menial labor.

[BeckyDem]

2. Thanks for sharing that. I am so glad to see more movement on this issue.

[yurbud]

3. it should have ended when they bankrolled & shepherded 9/11 hijackers

But clearly something else is going on or they would sweep this under the rug too.