Click to Translate to English Click to Translate to French  Click to Translate to Spanish  Click to Translate to German  Click to Translate to Italian  Click to Translate to Japanese  Click to Translate to Chinese Simplified  Click to Translate to Korean  Click to Translate to Arabic  Click to Translate to Russian  Click to Translate to Portuguese  Click to Translate to Myanmar (Burmese)

PANDEMIC ALERT LEVEL
123456
Forum Home Forum Home > Off Topic Forum > Political Discussion > Politics - Political Talk
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Chump defends Saudis.....!!!!!!!!
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Now tracking the new emerging South Africa Omicron Variant

Chump defends Saudis.....!!!!!!!!

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
carbon20 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: April 08 2006
Location: West Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 65816
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Chump defends Saudis.....!!!!!!!!
    Posted: December 08 2019 at 1:22pm


News > World > Americas > US politics

Washington Post columnist Max Boot has described Donald Trump as a 'spokesman for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia'
Trump criticised for rush to defend Saudis after pilot kills three at US navy base: 'He’s a spokesman for Saudi Arabia’
Middle East expert warns president is creating 'zone of immunity' for Saudi regime

Conrad Duncan
3 hours ago
Donald Trump has been criticised for “parroting” Saudi Arabia's defence after a Saudi gunman killed three sailors at a Florida navy base.

Mohammed Alshamrani, who was training at the base, opened fire on Friday at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, killing three and injuring at least eight other people before he was shot dead.


The attack has brought attention to the US’ decision to train Saudi military officers after anti-US tweets from an account appearing to match Alshamrani’s identity were found.

Download the new Indpendent Premium app
Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

Download now
However, Mr Trump has appeared to be unusually disinterested in uncovering the circumstances around the attack and swiftly defended Saudi Arabia.


The president told reporters that officials in Saudi Arabia are “devastated” by the incident and “the king [King Salman] will be involved in taking care of families and loved ones”.

Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures
Jamal Khashoggi
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
15 man hit squad
Saud al-Qahtani
His response has been questioned by foreign policy experts who have accused Mr Trump of covering for the Saudi regime.


“The attack is a disaster for an already deeply strained relationship,” Bruce Riedel, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, told The New York Times.

Mr Riedel criticised “the president’s parroting of the Saudi line” before the results of an investigation into the attack and the suspect’s motives have been released.

Watch more

Saudi pilot called US 'nation of evil' before shooting, reports say
Max Boot, a Washington Post columnist, accused Mr Trump of acting as “a spokesman for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.

“Imagine how he would've reacted to this terrorist attack if the shooter had been a Mexican immigrant or Muslim immigrant from any other country in the world other than Saudi Arabia,” Mr Boot said on CNN.

Independent news email
Enter your email address
Continue
Register with your social account or click here to log in


I would like to receive morning headlines
Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email
His criticism was echoed by Aaron David Miller, a Middle East negotiator and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who said Mr Trump had created a “virtually impenetrable zone of immunity for Saudi Arabia”.

Mr Miller said the president was driven to defend the country by “oil, money, weapons sales, a good deal of Saudi feting and flattery.”

Saudi Arabia is considered to be a critical US ally due to its oil supply and its ability to counter Iran in the Middle East region.


The Pensacola attack follows the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent journalist and critic of the Saudi royal family, in 2018.

Despite the CIA concluding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had ordered Khashoggi's assasination, Mr Trump refused to condemn the prince.

"It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event - maybe he did and maybe he didn't," he told reporters.


On Saturday, Mark Esper, the acting secretary of defence, said it was too early to say if the shooting was an act of terrorism but added that he had ordered a review of security and vetting policies in the Department of Defence.

Although Mr Trump has appeared reluctant to criticise Saudi Arabia, the country has not escaped criticism over the attack.

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, said there would be “a lot of questions” about Alshamrani and how he was allowed to train on US soil.


Read more
White House ‘hid details’ of Trump’s calls with Putin and Saudi prince
Trump threatens Iran after Saudi Arabia oil attack
Trump 'to release name of Saudi official involved in 9/11'
Trump vetoes attempt to block $8bn arms sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE
Terror probe launched as shooter reported to be Saudi national
“The government of Saudi Arabia needs to make things better for these victims, I think they are going to owe a debt here given that this is one of their individuals,” Mr DeSantis said.

Florida representative Matt Gaetz, who has been a staunch defender of Mr Trump, described the shooting as “an act of terrorism” on Friday.

The Pensacola attack was also the second shooting at a US military base this week, following an attack at Pearl Habour in which two workers were shot dead by a US sailor.

US media has reported that Alshamrani played videos of mass shootings at a dinner before the attack, raising further questions about his state of mind and fitness for military service.

MORE ABOUT
PENSACOLA NAVY BASE | FLORIDA | DONALD TRUMP | SAUDI ARABIA | KING SALMAN

GET IN TOUCH
Contact us
Jobs
OUR PRODUCTS
Subscriptions
Install our apps
Archive
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Evening Standard
Novaya Gazeta
EXTRAS
All topics
Voucher codes
Advertising guide
Syndication
LEGAL
Code of conduct and complaints
Contributors
Cookie policy
Privacy notice
User policies
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖

Marcus Aurelius
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down