Trump gives Saudi royals a huge Thanksgiving gift

President Donald J. Trump must not have the last word on the possible involvement of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the brutal murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

On Tuesday, before he left the White House for the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump made it clear he would not hold Salman (also known as MBS), a member of the ruling royal family, responsible for Khashoggi’s death inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

The decision flies in the face of reports from U.S. intelligence agencies, led by the CIA, that the crown prince must have at least known about such a dastardly plot.

“It could well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event,” Trump said. “Maybe he did, and maybe he didn’t.”

Nonetheless, the Republican president has no intention of ordering any investigation that would target the Saudi Arabian government.

Even members of his party in Congress disagree with the position he has taken and have called for a tougher response.

Democrats have rightly charged that the Trump’s justification for turning a blind eye to Riyadh “undermines respect for the office of the presidency, the credibility of our intelligence community and America’s standing as a champion of human rights,” in the words of U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Trump has said the United States stands to earn billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and that “foolishly canceling these contracts” would only benefit Russia and China. The president claimed those two countries would be next in line to supply the weapons.

We aren’t surprised by this myopic view of the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. His “America First” governing philosophy means the United States has abandoned its role as the world’s moral authority.

Losing our ‘moral voice’

Indeed, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina disagrees with Trump’s decision to give Crown Prince Salman a pass, saying America must not lose its “moral voice” on the international stage.

“It is not in our national security interests to look the other way when it comes to the brutal murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” said Graham, a staunch ally of the president.

Given that Republicans and Democrats in Congress are on the same page when it comes to holding Saudi Arabia responsible for the murder, a full-blown hearing on Capitol Hill is warranted and necessary.

President Trump must not have the last word on this issue with global ramifications.

Khashoggi, a harsh critic of the Saudi ruling family, in general, and Crown Prince Salman, in particular, was a columnist for the Washington Post. He vanished Oct. 2 after entering the consulate in Istanbul.

Although the Saudis now admit the journalist is dead, they insist it was an accident. They have put forth a far-fetched explanation that he died in a fight with individuals inside the consulate.

Unlike President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also is willing to give Saudi Arabia a pass, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pointed the finger of blame directly at Riyhad.

Erdogan wrote in The Washington Post that the order to kill the journalist came from the “highest level” of the Saudi government.

He wrote that he does not believe the order came from King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, but he stopped short of giving Prince Salman the benefit of the doubt.

“We know that the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest level of the Saudi government,” Erdogan said.

But the cover-up has found a major ally in the White House. President Trump, who denied that he has any business interest with the Saudi government, has delivered a troubling message to his dictator pals around the world, especially Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un: You can get rid of your enemies or critics in the press, and America will do nothing if our criticism undermines our growing relationships.

Therefore, Congress has no choice but to expose the immorality of the Saudi royal family that rules with an iron fist.