US is mercenary over Khashoggi

The disappearance and reported murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has prompted a justified wave of outrage and revulsion in Congress, the media and parts of the business community.

Defections are piling up among scheduled participants in a major investment conference planned for later in October in Riyadh. The New York Times, CNN, the Financial Times and Bloomberg News have pulled out as media sponsors. The CEOs of Viacom and Uber have cancelled their appearances, along with investor Steve Case.

Several Wall Street executives, including Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase and Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone, have not changed their plans to attend the conference, even though its host, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is credibly suspected of ordering Khashoggi’s capture or killing. That looks like poor judgment.

The real outliers, however, are President Donald Trump and other senior officials in his administration, who continue to play down a horrific and virtually unprecedented crime — the alleged murder of a distinguished journalist in one of his own country’s consulates

— and excuse Saudi Arabia’s failure to offer credible answers to their requests for information.

On Friday, treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was still planning to attend the conference, adding, “If more information comes out and changes, we can look at that.” That is the opposite of the appropriate position, which would be to suspend official US participation unless and until Saudi authorities provide satisfactory answers. As they did before Khashoggi’s disappearance, Trump and his aides are sending the message that they will tolerate even the most reckless and unlawful adventures by the crown prince, provided he buys US weapons. It’s hard to imagine a more irresponsible and amoral stance. /Washington Post, October 12