U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Vice Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman meet Monday in the Oval Office. (Photo: Khalid bin Salman/Twitter)
Jan 06, 2020
President Donald Trump came under fire Tuesday from journalists after a meeting at the White House with Saudi Arabia's Vice Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman on Monday was not disclosed and only discovered after the minister posted pictures from the Oval Office online.
"A meeting with a foreign leader in the Oval Office should, at the very least, be on the public schedule with a read-out of the meeting released after it is over," Jonathan Karl, president of the White House Correspondents Association, said in a statement. "This has been the long-standing precedent for presidents of both political parties."
"It is disturbing to see the government of Saudi Arabia have more transparency than the White House about a meeting with the President in the Oval Office," Karl added.
\u201c"It is disturbing to see the government of Saudi Arabia have more transparency than the White House about a meeting with the President in the Oval Office."\u201d— WHCA (@WHCA) 1578425682
The details of what was discussed at the meeting remain unclear, though a photo shared on social media by the Saudi minister shows Trump advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner in attendance.
Trump took to Twitter shortly after the photos were released to say the two discussed "trade, military, oil prices,security, and stability in the Middle East."
\u201cUpon directives from HRH the Crown Prince, I had the pleasure of meeting with @RealDonaldTrump yesterday to deliver a message from the Crown Prince, and review aspects of our bilateral cooperation, including efforts to confront regional and international challenges.\u201d— Khalid bin Salman \u062e\u0627\u0644\u062f \u0628\u0646 \u0633\u0644\u0645\u0627\u0646 (@Khalid bin Salman \u062e\u0627\u0644\u062f \u0628\u0646 \u0633\u0644\u0645\u0627\u0646) 1578409482
The looming U.S. war with Iran, which became more likely last week after Trump's ordered assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, was likely on the minister's mind; Iran and Saudi Arabia have been in a low-level conflict for decades, including a long-running proxy war in Yemen.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Donald Trump came under fire Tuesday from journalists after a meeting at the White House with Saudi Arabia's Vice Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman on Monday was not disclosed and only discovered after the minister posted pictures from the Oval Office online.
"A meeting with a foreign leader in the Oval Office should, at the very least, be on the public schedule with a read-out of the meeting released after it is over," Jonathan Karl, president of the White House Correspondents Association, said in a statement. "This has been the long-standing precedent for presidents of both political parties."
"It is disturbing to see the government of Saudi Arabia have more transparency than the White House about a meeting with the President in the Oval Office," Karl added.
\u201c"It is disturbing to see the government of Saudi Arabia have more transparency than the White House about a meeting with the President in the Oval Office."\u201d— WHCA (@WHCA) 1578425682
The details of what was discussed at the meeting remain unclear, though a photo shared on social media by the Saudi minister shows Trump advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner in attendance.
Trump took to Twitter shortly after the photos were released to say the two discussed "trade, military, oil prices,security, and stability in the Middle East."
\u201cUpon directives from HRH the Crown Prince, I had the pleasure of meeting with @RealDonaldTrump yesterday to deliver a message from the Crown Prince, and review aspects of our bilateral cooperation, including efforts to confront regional and international challenges.\u201d— Khalid bin Salman \u062e\u0627\u0644\u062f \u0628\u0646 \u0633\u0644\u0645\u0627\u0646 (@Khalid bin Salman \u062e\u0627\u0644\u062f \u0628\u0646 \u0633\u0644\u0645\u0627\u0646) 1578409482
The looming U.S. war with Iran, which became more likely last week after Trump's ordered assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, was likely on the minister's mind; Iran and Saudi Arabia have been in a low-level conflict for decades, including a long-running proxy war in Yemen.
President Donald Trump came under fire Tuesday from journalists after a meeting at the White House with Saudi Arabia's Vice Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman on Monday was not disclosed and only discovered after the minister posted pictures from the Oval Office online.
"A meeting with a foreign leader in the Oval Office should, at the very least, be on the public schedule with a read-out of the meeting released after it is over," Jonathan Karl, president of the White House Correspondents Association, said in a statement. "This has been the long-standing precedent for presidents of both political parties."
"It is disturbing to see the government of Saudi Arabia have more transparency than the White House about a meeting with the President in the Oval Office," Karl added.
\u201c"It is disturbing to see the government of Saudi Arabia have more transparency than the White House about a meeting with the President in the Oval Office."\u201d— WHCA (@WHCA) 1578425682
The details of what was discussed at the meeting remain unclear, though a photo shared on social media by the Saudi minister shows Trump advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner in attendance.
Trump took to Twitter shortly after the photos were released to say the two discussed "trade, military, oil prices,security, and stability in the Middle East."
\u201cUpon directives from HRH the Crown Prince, I had the pleasure of meeting with @RealDonaldTrump yesterday to deliver a message from the Crown Prince, and review aspects of our bilateral cooperation, including efforts to confront regional and international challenges.\u201d— Khalid bin Salman \u062e\u0627\u0644\u062f \u0628\u0646 \u0633\u0644\u0645\u0627\u0646 (@Khalid bin Salman \u062e\u0627\u0644\u062f \u0628\u0646 \u0633\u0644\u0645\u0627\u0646) 1578409482
The looming U.S. war with Iran, which became more likely last week after Trump's ordered assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, was likely on the minister's mind; Iran and Saudi Arabia have been in a low-level conflict for decades, including a long-running proxy war in Yemen.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.