With unconfirmed reports swirling that the Saudis are going to finally admit what the world has a surmised for over a week and what Turkish authorities have alleged from the outset--that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by a 'hit team' inside the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul two weeks ago--many people are asking this question on Tuesday morning: What is US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo so happy about in images and video footage that showed him meeting with high-level members of the Royal Family, including King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS).
As the disappearance and likely murder of Khashoggi has forced the U.S. government into the uncomfortable position of having to face critics about its cozy relationship with the Saudis, President Donald Trump has been working the refs on behalf of the King Salman while dispatching Pompeo to Riyadh for face to face meetings and to perform his duties as a public relations specialist for the U.S. empire.
As journalist Aaron Rupar for ThinkProgressnoted Tuesday morning, "Pompeo is there to 'investigate' a brutal murder, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him."
The bizarre optics of the Pompeo /MBS meeting were immediately noted by CNN's John Berman, who asked viewers to "look at the smiles here. Look at the body language. Look at the demeanor. They are talking about the apparent murder and dismemberment of a Washington Post journalist!"
And so as photos emerged of Pompeo meeting with King Salman, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh, and later MbS emerged--they left a lot of people online asking, if the situation is so serious and grave, why is Pompeo smiling so much?
