SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) speaks to members of the media after a closed door briefing by Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel to members of Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee December 4, 2018. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Republicans After Briefing With CIA Chief: Yeah, Saudi Crown Prince Definitely Had Jamal Khashoggi Killed
"I think he's complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi to the highest level possible," said Sen. Lindsey Graham
Dec 03, 2018
Reasonable observers and analysts concluded weeks ago that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the gruesome killing of Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.
Though it took them far longer than most, a small group of Republicans finally fell in line with this widespread consensus after a secretive briefing by CIA chief Gina Haspel on Tuesday, admitting that all the available evidence suggests MBS orchestrated the murder that has sparked international outrage and brought America's longstanding military relationship with the brutal kingdom under sharp scrutiny.
"There's not a smoking gun, there's a smoking saw," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters after the behind-closed-doors briefing. "I think he's complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi to the highest level possible."
Graham went on to say he will not support U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia until all who are responsible for Khashoggi's murder are "brought to justice."
As Common Dreams reported, the Senate last week advanced Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi kingdom's assault on Yemen. Graham voted in favor of the resolution.
\u201c.@LindseyGrahamSC on Khashoggi: "0 chance that this happened in such an organized fashion without Crown Prince [being involved]...I have great respect for Pompeo & Mattis [but] If they were in a Dem administration, I would be all over them for being in the pocket of Saudi Arabia"\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1543947472
Echoing his GOP colleague following the CIA briefing, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said, "All evidence points to that, that all this leads back to the crown prince."
These long-overdue statements place Shelby and Graham firmly at odds with President Donald Trump, who issued a bizarre and "dangerous" statement last month claiming that it may be impossible to know who is ultimately responsible for Khashoggi's murder and vowing to continue selling weapons to the kingdom.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Reasonable observers and analysts concluded weeks ago that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the gruesome killing of Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.
Though it took them far longer than most, a small group of Republicans finally fell in line with this widespread consensus after a secretive briefing by CIA chief Gina Haspel on Tuesday, admitting that all the available evidence suggests MBS orchestrated the murder that has sparked international outrage and brought America's longstanding military relationship with the brutal kingdom under sharp scrutiny.
"There's not a smoking gun, there's a smoking saw," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters after the behind-closed-doors briefing. "I think he's complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi to the highest level possible."
Graham went on to say he will not support U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia until all who are responsible for Khashoggi's murder are "brought to justice."
As Common Dreams reported, the Senate last week advanced Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi kingdom's assault on Yemen. Graham voted in favor of the resolution.
\u201c.@LindseyGrahamSC on Khashoggi: "0 chance that this happened in such an organized fashion without Crown Prince [being involved]...I have great respect for Pompeo & Mattis [but] If they were in a Dem administration, I would be all over them for being in the pocket of Saudi Arabia"\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1543947472
Echoing his GOP colleague following the CIA briefing, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said, "All evidence points to that, that all this leads back to the crown prince."
These long-overdue statements place Shelby and Graham firmly at odds with President Donald Trump, who issued a bizarre and "dangerous" statement last month claiming that it may be impossible to know who is ultimately responsible for Khashoggi's murder and vowing to continue selling weapons to the kingdom.
Reasonable observers and analysts concluded weeks ago that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the gruesome killing of Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.
Though it took them far longer than most, a small group of Republicans finally fell in line with this widespread consensus after a secretive briefing by CIA chief Gina Haspel on Tuesday, admitting that all the available evidence suggests MBS orchestrated the murder that has sparked international outrage and brought America's longstanding military relationship with the brutal kingdom under sharp scrutiny.
"There's not a smoking gun, there's a smoking saw," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters after the behind-closed-doors briefing. "I think he's complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi to the highest level possible."
Graham went on to say he will not support U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia until all who are responsible for Khashoggi's murder are "brought to justice."
As Common Dreams reported, the Senate last week advanced Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi kingdom's assault on Yemen. Graham voted in favor of the resolution.
\u201c.@LindseyGrahamSC on Khashoggi: "0 chance that this happened in such an organized fashion without Crown Prince [being involved]...I have great respect for Pompeo & Mattis [but] If they were in a Dem administration, I would be all over them for being in the pocket of Saudi Arabia"\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1543947472
Echoing his GOP colleague following the CIA briefing, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said, "All evidence points to that, that all this leads back to the crown prince."
These long-overdue statements place Shelby and Graham firmly at odds with President Donald Trump, who issued a bizarre and "dangerous" statement last month claiming that it may be impossible to know who is ultimately responsible for Khashoggi's murder and vowing to continue selling weapons to the kingdom.
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.