White House Rehabs Prince Bone Saw

A research firm surveys media reporters on their thoughts about Saudi Arabia.

President Trump rolled out the red carpet today for the Saudi leader Prince Mohammed bin Salman who received a military fly-over, a cannon salute and a deal for some American-made fighter jets. Saudi flags are up in front of the White House. There’s a black tie dinner tonight with soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, now playing for the Al Nassr team. Elon Musk is slated to attend.

Saudi Arabia has spent a small fortune making itself palatable to Westeners in the hopes of diversifying its economy. The Red Sea Film Festival is set to kick-off next month, with human rights activist Angelina Jolie rumored to be touching down. Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K. were on stage at the new controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival held in October. Lots of people are ready to put bad things in the past. But are journalists ready to forget the brutal murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018? Not so fast.

ABC News’s Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce asked the President about his own family business dealings in Saudi Arabia and then hit the Prince with some straight talk on Khashoggi at a White House press event today. “You orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist,” she said. The 9/11 families were “furious that you are here in the Oval office,” she added. (You can see the clip here, though I struggled to find it either on ABC News’ X account or at its own website.) Trump instantly derided the reporter calling ABC News “fake news,” and some people didn’t like, “that gentleman.” President Trump added that the Prince had known nothing about it. The Prince asked that he might respond, “I feel painful for families of 9/11,” he said adding that the dead terrorist Osama bin Laden had been trying to drive a wedge between the two countries. On “The journalist,” he said it was painful for someone to lose their life for “no real purpose,” and that the country had taken, “all the right steps,” and “improved our systems to make sure that nothing happen like that.” (Here’s the full BBC clip of that highly newsworthy interaction.)

For those who have forgotten the details, the US intelligence agencies reported that the Saudi Crown Prince was responsible for Khashoggi’s murder. The Saudi critic was lured to the country’s consulate in Instanbul for wedding papers. He was choked dismembered with a bone saw and stuffed in a suitcase. It’s hard to think of anything more graphic and frightening. The Prince denied ordering the operation, according to Reuters.

Agnes Callamard, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, wrote on her X account that the US government decided that the Prince had immunity from a lawsuit filed by Khashoggi’s wife Hanan. Callamard pointed out that his killers were still free and that accountability had not been delivered. Hanan Khashoggi wants his remains and compensation.

These are all unpleasant topics that a lot of people who want to do more business with Saudi Arabia would like to forget, but can they? Today, AlphaSights, a research firm, working on behalf of an unnamed European think tank is offering to pay for a 45 minute consultation with media industry journalists. Their client wants to know about, “perceptions surrounding Saudi investments into entertainment and/or sports.” The email received today left reporters shrugging their shoulders.

Amnesty’s Callamard said it best. “Should we forget? Should we turn the page? This is what the killers demand; this is what many powerful elite the world over expect. That we forget; that we stay silent; that we turn the page; that we look elsewhere. But we don’t. We won’t.”