Today In US Politics - February 25, 2021
It’s a quiet day on the domestic politics front so we’re going to foreign policy today with the Saudi reset and the Biden administration’s condemnation of Prince Mahammed Bin Salman.
New Report Blames Saudi Crown Prince for Jamal Khasoggi’s Murder
Back in 2018 a journalist named Jamal Kashoggi was abducted and horrifically murdered in a Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. Kashoggi was an American; he held a green card, which marked him as a permanent resident of the United States. He was also a vocal critic of Prince Mahammed Bin Salman (hereafter MBS) and probably the single most famous political pundit in the Arab world.
While American intelligence quickly determined that MBS ordered Kahoggi’s murder, the Trump administration maintained otherwise and refused to allow the CIA to release its conclusions, leading Congressional Democrats to charge that he lied to cover for the Saudi prince. After the election, journalists began to call for the incoming Biden administration to release the CIA’s report on Kashoggi’s death and MBS’ involvement with it.
That brings us up to the present day and the news that the Biden administration will release a report derived from the CIA’s investigation of the assassination of Jamal Kashoggi. The report’s release comes on the heels of (but is unrelated to) a CNN report that Kashoggi’s killers used two private jets which were owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund; MBS chairs the board that administers the fund.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is, as the name suggests, an absolute monarchy. Mahammed Bin Salman’s status as the Crown Prince means that he is the son of King Salman and heir to the throne. This means that the United States is leveling an accusation of murder against someone who is, for all intents and purposes, a country. Consequently, prior to the release of the report, President Biden will call King Salman, likely to discuss the document and forthcoming US policy towards Saudi Arabia.
Expect the Biden administration to pursue a much less accommodating foreign policy towards Saudi Arabia than the Trump administration did. Saudi Arabia is currently engaged in a war in Yemen with horrific humanitarian consequences. The United States is already withdrawing military aid from Saudi Arabia but expect that trend to accelerate as Biden tries to reset relations with the Kingdom.
Bonus Stories
In the last month, lawyers working to undo the child separations inflicted by the Trump administration have managed to locate the parents of 105 migrant children.
Gov Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) is now the subject of a sexual harassment sandal in addition to the COVID coverup scandal.
Ted Cruz’s popularity among Republicans has taken a nosedive. Cancun Cruz is down 20 points in his own party after taking a jaunt to Mexico in the midst of the Texas Blackout.
And a Capitol Hill insurrectionist took time out from trying to overthrow the US government to text his ex-girlfriend and call her a “moron.” She turned him in to the FBI. The riots caused about $30,000,000 in damages to the Capitol building.