From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Washington Post accuses Trump of ‘diplomatic cleanup’ over Khashoggi
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleThe Washington Post, whose columnist Jamal Khashoggi was reported to have been killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, has accused the administration of US President Donald Trump of performing a “diplomatic cleanup operation” for Riyadh.
In an editorial headlined “Why is the Trump administration cleaning up Saudi Arabia’s mess?” the paper backs calls by UN officials for an independent international commission into the disappearance of the journalist earlier this month, which has tarnished the image of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was sent to Riyadh on Tuesday, according to the administration, to press the Saudi leadership to get to the bottom of the case.
"Why is the Trump administration cleaning up Saudi Arabia’s mess?" https://t.co/XXtmqruuCj via @PostOpinions
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 17, 2018
But Pompeo, “who smiled broadly as he greeted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, appeared less intent on determining the truth than in helping the de facto Saudi ruler escape from the crisis he triggered,” says the Post.
“The best metaphor for Mr. Pompeo’s diplomacy seemed to be what reporters witnessed outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where Mr. Khashoggi was last seen Oct. 2: the arrival of a cleaning crew with buckets, mops and fluids.”
Trump, it added, had “signaled that he is more than ready to assist in that dodge.”
“The president tweeted that in a phone call, the young Saudi leader had ‘totally denied any knowledge of what took place’ — as if that should settle the matter.”
— AFP
The Times of Israel Community.