Trump affirms US alliance to Saudi Arabia in striking new statement

[left-of-center2012]

Source: The Hill

President Trump said Tuesday the U.S. would maintain a "steadfast partner" with Saudi Arabia in a striking statement that described the world as a violent place and made it clear the administration does not want the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi to tarnish the relationship between the two nations.

In the lengthy statement, Trump said "we may never know" who was responsible for the killing of Khashoggi even though the CIA has reportedly concluded that Prince Mohammed ordered his assassination.

"Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!" the president said.

"The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region. It is our paramount goal to fully eliminate the threat of terrorism throughout the world!" the statement said.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/417646-trump-affirms-us-loyalty-to-saudi-arabia-in-striking-new-statement

[Drum]

1. Coward! Turncoat!

[SWBTATTReg]

2. All in the name of money and oil. Nothing about human rights or anything like this. What ...

a traitor to American values.

[lark]

3. Real interpretation of drumpf's lies.

Drumpf - I and my daughter make so much $$ from them, we don't care who they kill, it's irrelevant to us. Besides, the guy was a Muslim journalist and Jared asked the Prince if he wanted us to kill him or if he wanted to do it himself.

[riversedge]

4. I can't believe this is a real White House statement. Embarrassing.

my thought also..............

I can't believe this is a real White House statement. Embarrassing.

Link to tweet

Matthew Rosenberg
‏Verified account @AllMattNYT

Trump statement on Khashoggi is really something: Deflects by pointing to Iranian wrongdoing, smears a murdered journalist, boasts about Saudis buying American weapons and calls them a “great ally” ... and then wraps up with “America First!”

Link to tweet

DeepStateofDisbelief
‏ @notjessagain
12m12 minutes ago
Replying to @atrupar

...is this really a real thing...?
1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
Aaron Rupar
‏Verified account @atrupar
11m11 minutes ago

Aaron Rupar Retweeted David Mack

yes. here's the full thing

Aaron Rupar added,
David Mack
Verified account @davidmackau
I’ve never been more convinced that Trump personally wrote a White House statement. 8 exclamation points! 8!
1 reply 0 retweets 8 likes






DeepStateofDisbelief
‏ @notjessagain
8m8 minutes ago

Dear God. It’s one big whataboutism wrapped in a “so what?”

Derek James
‏Verified account @DerekJamesNBA
13m13 minutes ago

Replying to @atrupar

This communications department is embarrassing.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. if this were any other year, or any other White House, or any other.... NT

[riversedge]

16. sigh!!

[duforsure]

5. Trump takes murderous corrupt dictators word, Putin and the Prince

But attacks OUR military, and its generals? Attacks OUR Democracy, the free press , and calls them liars? Very telling.

[meluvrem]

6. After

The deals this Mafia-like crime family are making are for when they are not in office and not under scrutiny.
That's why any talk about in-fighting in public chaps my hiney.
The media loves to promote that BS. Keep that in house and laser focus on these S.O.B.s

[thbobby]

7. And all the gop traitors

nod their heads in agreement with the traitor-in-chief, while they enthusiastically attack and diminish the military heroes who took out Bin Laden. Jesus Christ!

[Botany]

8. Kushner helped to set up Khashoggi too.

I wonder if anything @ all is too much for the Republicans?

"Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!" the president said, adding that "we may never know" who was responsible.

[area51]

9. Gotta love the "pro life" republinazis;

they don't care anything about the killing of Khashoggi because he's post birth.

[TeamPooka]

10. America First huh? He says Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producing nation in the world. Guess who

it really is?
The USA
Kind of interesting that in a release where he says America first over and over he doesn't even know this and gives SA all the credit?
https://www.investopedia.com/investing/worlds-top-oil-producers/

Even as attempts are made to develop alternative sources of energy, the importance of oil is unquestionable. It is a revenue generator for countries lucky enough to have oil reserves and produce more than their domestic consumption. On the other hand, it is a drain for those economies that are heavily dependent on imports. The world pays close attention to big changes in the oil markets triggered by events like unrest in oil-producing regions, new oil field discoveries and advances in extraction technology.

Total oil production averaged more than 97 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2016, the most recent year for which complete data are available, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The top five oil-producing countries were responsible for nearly half of the world's production. Below is a look at the leading countries based on total oil production in 2016, according to EIA data. Total oil production includes production of crude oil, lease condensate, unfinished oils, refined products obtained from the processing of crude oil, and natural gas plant liquids. It is expressed in barrels per day.

United States
The United States is the top oil-producing country in the world, with an average of 14.86 million b/d, which accounts for 15.3% of the world's production. This is down from 15.12 million b/d in 2015, but it was enough to land the United States in the No. 1 spot, which it has held for the past four years running. The United States overtook Russia in 2012 for the No. 2 spot, and it surpassed former leader Saudi Arabia in 2013 to become the world's top oil producer. Much of the increased U.S. production is attributable to fracking in the shale formations in Texas and North Dakota. The United States has been a net exporter – i.e., exports exceeded imports – of oil since early 2011.

[Achilleaze]

11. "We're republicans. We don't give a shit about dead journalists." - Dirty Donny* (R)

"Money. It's all about money. So shut up and sit down, all you goody-goody two-shoes who care about honesty, integrity, and honor." - Dirty Donny* (R)

* aka republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief

[PatSeg]

12. Interesting

that Trump referred to Khashoggi as a "dissident journalist", not a U.S. resident or Washington Post journalist. "Dissident" has a more negative connotation, as if somehow Khashoggi was guilty of something.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

17. Did the word "dissident" appear in the text?

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-donald-j-trump-standing-saudi-arabia/

I didn't see it.

[PatSeg]

18. Ah

It appears The Hill used the word.

[Jim__]

13. We may never know who killed Jamal Khashoggi. But we are sure that raking the forest would have ...

... prevented the California forest fires.

[Fullduplexxx]

14. Trump says (about s.a.) they spend 40-50 million dollars on

"Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million," Trump said during a presidential campaign rally in Alabama in August 2015.

"Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much."

At another rally that year, Trump said of the Saudis, "I make a lot of money from them."

"They buy all sorts of my stuff. All kinds of toys from Trump. They pay me millions and hundred of millions."