There are a few things that President Trump says will shock me or anyone else stuck in this twisted loop of doom that is turning the spotlight on American politics in 2025. But Trump's remarks today demonizing slain Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and defending the Saudi crown prince from the Oval Office were an exception and brought a sense of déjà vu to those of us who covered the disturbing details of Khashoggi's brutal 2018 murder.
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
In 2018, as today, Trump ignored the assessments of his intelligence community. In a statement around the time the WSJ article was published, Trump said it was possible that the Saudi crown prince “knew about this tragic event—maybe he did, maybe he didn't!”
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
In 2018, as today, Trump ignored the assessments of his intelligence community. In a statement around the time the WSJ article was published, Trump said it was possible that the Saudi crown prince “knew about this tragic event—maybe he did, maybe he didn't!”
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent his president at least 11 messages. closest advisorwho oversaw the team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the hours before and after the journalist's death in October, according to a highly classified CIA assessment.
In August 2017, the Saudi leader also told his colleagues that if his efforts to persuade Mr. Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia were unsuccessful, “we could perhaps lure him outside of Saudi Arabia and negotiate,” according to the assessment, a message that said “seems to foreshadow a Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi.”
In 2018, as today, Trump ignored the assessments of his intelligence community. In a statement around the time the WSJ article was published, Trump said it was possible that the Saudi crown prince “knew about this tragic event—maybe he did, maybe he didn't!”
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
Obviously, it is unclear which aspect of Bruce's question was fake news. Wall Street Journal In December 2018, it was reported that the CIA had enough evidence to conclude that bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder. From the original WSJ report:
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent his president at least 11 messages. closest advisorwho oversaw the team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the hours before and after the journalist's death in October, according to a highly classified CIA assessment.
In August 2017, the Saudi leader also told his colleagues that if his efforts to persuade Mr. Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia were unsuccessful, “we could perhaps lure him outside of Saudi Arabia and negotiate,” according to the assessment, a message that said “seems to foreshadow a Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi.”
In 2018, as today, Trump ignored the assessments of his intelligence community. In a statement around the time the WSJ article was published, Trump said it was possible that the Saudi crown prince “knew about this tragic event—maybe he did, maybe he didn't!”
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
“I think ABC should have their license taken away because your news is so fake and wrong,” Trump said.
Obviously, it is unclear which aspect of Bruce's question was fake news. Wall Street Journal In December 2018, it was reported that the CIA had enough evidence to conclude that bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder. From the original WSJ report:
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent his president at least 11 messages. closest advisorwho oversaw the team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the hours before and after the journalist's death in October, according to a highly classified CIA assessment.
In August 2017, the Saudi leader also told his colleagues that if his efforts to persuade Mr. Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia were unsuccessful, “we could perhaps lure him outside of Saudi Arabia and negotiate,” according to the assessment, a message that said “seems to foreshadow a Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi.”
In 2018, as today, Trump ignored the assessments of his intelligence community. In a statement around the time the WSJ article was published, Trump said it was possible that the Saudi crown prince “knew about this tragic event—maybe he did, maybe he didn't!”
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
He went on to chastise and threaten ABC News reporter Mary Bruce for asking a “terrible, insubordinate and just plain terrible question.”
“I think ABC should have their license taken away because your news is so fake and wrong,” Trump said.
Obviously, it is unclear which aspect of Bruce's question was fake news. Wall Street Journal In December 2018, it was reported that the CIA had enough evidence to conclude that bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder. From the original WSJ report:
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent his president at least 11 messages. closest advisorwho oversaw the team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the hours before and after the journalist's death in October, according to a highly classified CIA assessment.
In August 2017, the Saudi leader also told his colleagues that if his efforts to persuade Mr. Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia were unsuccessful, “we could perhaps lure him outside of Saudi Arabia and negotiate,” according to the assessment, a message that said “seems to foreshadow a Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi.”
In 2018, as today, Trump ignored the assessments of his intelligence community. In a statement around the time the WSJ article was published, Trump said it was possible that the Saudi crown prince “knew about this tragic event—maybe he did, maybe he didn't!”
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
“A lot of people didn't like the gentleman you're talking about,” Trump said in response to ABC News' question about Khashoggi. “Whether you like him or not, things happen, but [Mohammed] knew nothing about it. And we can leave everything as it is. You don't have to embarrass our guest by asking such a question.
He went on to chastise and threaten ABC News reporter Mary Bruce for asking a “terrible, insubordinate and just plain terrible question.”
“I think ABC should have their license taken away because your news is so fake and wrong,” Trump said.
Obviously, it is unclear which aspect of Bruce's question was fake news. Wall Street Journal In December 2018, it was reported that the CIA had enough evidence to conclude that bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder. From the original WSJ report:
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent his president at least 11 messages. closest advisorwho oversaw the team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the hours before and after the journalist's death in October, according to a highly classified CIA assessment.
In August 2017, the Saudi leader also told his colleagues that if his efforts to persuade Mr. Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia were unsuccessful, “we could perhaps lure him outside of Saudi Arabia and negotiate,” according to the assessment, a message that said “seems to foreshadow a Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi.”
In 2018, as today, Trump ignored the assessments of his intelligence community. In a statement around the time the WSJ article was published, Trump said it was possible that the Saudi crown prince “knew about this tragic event—maybe he did, maybe he didn't!”
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
Speaking to the press in the Oval Office alongside Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom U.S. intelligence has found responsible for Khashoggi's murder during Trump's first term, Trump on Tuesday shrugged off Khashoggi's dismemberment. He was also adamant that he did not hold bin Salman responsible for the journalist's death, despite US intelligence and Senate Republicans assess the crown prince as an accomplice..
“A lot of people didn't like the gentleman you're talking about,” Trump said in response to ABC News' question about Khashoggi. “Whether you like him or not, things happen, but [Mohammed] knew nothing about it. And we can leave everything as it is. You don't have to embarrass our guest by asking such a question.
He went on to chastise and threaten ABC News reporter Mary Bruce for asking a “terrible, insubordinate and just plain terrible question.”
“I think ABC should have their license taken away because your news is so fake and wrong,” Trump said.
Obviously, it is unclear which aspect of Bruce's question was fake news. Wall Street Journal In December 2018, it was reported that the CIA had enough evidence to conclude that bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder. From the original WSJ report:
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent his president at least 11 messages. closest advisorwho oversaw the team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the hours before and after the journalist's death in October, according to a highly classified CIA assessment.
In August 2017, the Saudi leader also told his colleagues that if his efforts to persuade Mr. Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia were unsuccessful, “we could perhaps lure him outside of Saudi Arabia and negotiate,” according to the assessment, a message that said “seems to foreshadow a Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi.”
In 2018, as today, Trump ignored the assessments of his intelligence community. In a statement around the time the WSJ article was published, Trump said it was possible that the Saudi crown prince “knew about this tragic event—maybe he did, maybe he didn't!”
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
Speaking to the press in the Oval Office alongside Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom U.S. intelligence has found responsible for Khashoggi's murder during Trump's first term, Trump on Tuesday shrugged off Khashoggi's dismemberment. He was also adamant that he did not hold bin Salman responsible for the journalist's death, despite US intelligence and Senate Republicans assess the crown prince as an accomplice..
“A lot of people didn't like the gentleman you're talking about,” Trump said in response to ABC News' question about Khashoggi. “Whether you like him or not, things happen, but [Mohammed] knew nothing about it. And we can leave everything as it is. You don't have to embarrass our guest by asking such a question.
He went on to chastise and threaten ABC News reporter Mary Bruce for asking a “terrible, insubordinate and just plain terrible question.”
“I think ABC should have their license taken away because your news is so fake and wrong,” Trump said.
Obviously, it is unclear which aspect of Bruce's question was fake news. Wall Street Journal In December 2018, it was reported that the CIA had enough evidence to conclude that bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder. From the original WSJ report:
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent his president at least 11 messages. closest advisorwho oversaw the team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the hours before and after the journalist's death in October, according to a highly classified CIA assessment.
In August 2017, the Saudi leader also told his colleagues that if his efforts to persuade Mr. Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia were unsuccessful, “we could perhaps lure him outside of Saudi Arabia and negotiate,” according to the assessment, a message that said “seems to foreshadow a Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi.”
In 2018, as today, Trump ignored the assessments of his intelligence community. In a statement around the time the WSJ article was published, Trump said it was possible that the Saudi crown prince “knew about this tragic event—maybe he did, maybe he didn't!”
“We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump added at the time. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Back in 2018, several of my TPM colleagues and I spent a lot of time covering the immediate events surrounding the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reporter and columnist was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal leadership, especially Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, for its suppression of dissent and the humanitarian crisis it created with its intervention in Yemen at the time. In one of his recent columns, he criticized the lack of freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia and called bin Salman “impulsive.”
Khashoggi was killed and his body brutally dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi militants after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, according to report later. At the time, he was living in the United States after being expelled from Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate in Turkey to collect documents to prepare for his upcoming wedding. Some details about how exactly he died are still unknown. He reportedly died while being held by Saudi militants who were reportedly trying to return him to Saudi Arabia. Some speculate that he died after being injected with the drug.
His body was dismembered with bone saw inside the embassy building in Turkey and, according to Turkish officials, it was destroyed. Bin Salman said he had nothing to do with the killing and dismemberment and put 11 people on trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court. The prosecutor demanded the death penalty for five of them.
Asked by MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) how she felt to see bin Salman welcomed by the White House today, his widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi supported her husband's work writing about the Saudi government.
“I have a very heavy feeling today. I can't express it. It's very painful. It's a very difficult and mixed feeling. I wish Jamal was here to greet him because Jamal was very open to meeting him and explaining to him what his mission and vision is,” she said. “But unfortunately, they just decided to take his life without listening to him.”
Trump shuts down Department of Education
The Trump administration has begun to act on the president's promise to dismantle the Department of Education and transfer its critical services and responsibilities to other federal agencies. For example, the offices of primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, will be transferred to the Department of Labor.
The expansive and unprecedented effort to outsource department operations using government-to-government contracting agreements with other agencies does not yet include transferring federal special education authority to HHS, according to a department spokesman and people familiar with the matter who spoke as the agency began detailing the effort ahead of a formal announcement Tuesday afternoon.
Senate members demand vote for Epstein
After each member of the House present except for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), voted To force the Justice Department to release a package of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a group of Senate Democrats is asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote in the Senate, without delay or unnecessary disruption to the process.”
Thune, for his part, said Tuesday he would bring the measure to a vote “as soon as we can figure out where our members are.”
As we mentioned yesterdayTrump designed to entangle Maneuvering on this issue appears to be something of a delaying tactic. Trump could easily have asked the Justice Department to release the files at any time, and not only has he failed to do so, but he has actively blocked it so far.
