It’s easy to talk tough but hard to win a war. So while the Trump administration continued to support the war in Yemen over bipartisan majority of Congress, now it seems to be looking a for a way out. The Trump administration wants to open up negotiations with the Iranian-backed Houthis. This is a sign...
Tag: MBS
Post
Power Play: NSA Leaks Implicate MBS in Khashoggi Assassination
The New York Times reports that a wide variety of sources are sharing information about top secret National Security Agency intercepts of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The story is less interesting for what it tells us about MBS’s complicity in the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October. MBS’s role is well-established. What this...
Post
Pompeo Ignores CIA Findings, Doubles Down on Khashoggi Coverup
As more details leak about why the CIA believes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of a critic, the agency finds itself increasingly isolated within the Trump administration. The White House talking point, repeated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to CNN over the weekend, is that “there’s no direct evidence linking [the crown prince]...
Post
Ignatius’ Tale: Has the CIA Turned on MBS?
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius gets a hard time for his CIA sources. In January 2017 he broke the story that Trump’s National Security Adviser Michael Flynn lied about his pre-inauguration contacts with the Russian ambassador. The story, attributed to a “senior U.S. government official,” proved to be accurate. Flynn lost his job. Glenn Greenwald...
Post
Haspel and Bolton Diverged Over Khashoggi Evidence
President Trump is trying save the U.S.-Saudi alliance (and his administration’s campaign against Iran) from the notoriety of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Who’s he going to listen to? Washington Post reports CIA director Gina Haspel has told Trump U.S. intelligence has concluded MbS ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bolton told Trump the...