Remember the mantra “Lock her up” bellowed by Trump supporters attacking Hilary Clinton during the Presidential Election campaign. In fact, they are still at it. This all revolved around the use of a private email address on government business, clearly against regulations. Well, now Ivanka Trump, the President’s so-called Special Advisor, has been caught doing exactly the same thing. What blatant hypocrisy.
Still, much more disturbing things are afoot and it relates to the simply appalling torture and murder of the Washington Post Journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. It now transpires that there are unconfirmed reports that the CIA is in possession of a recording of a phone call made by the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, giving instructions to “Silence Jamal Khashoggi as soon as possible”. This comes days after the U.S. President issued a bizarre statement subtitled “American First !” in which he concluded M.B.S., as the Crown Prince is called, “maybe he did, and maybe he didn’t” have knowledge of the murder. Well perhaps the Donald should have paid a little attention to M.B.S.’s new nickname Mr. Bone Saw. Kind of says it all considering it now looks almost certain that Khashoggi was chopped up on the Prince’s instructions.
But what of Trump’s justification for effectively protecting M.B.S. He says he is saving U.S. jobs in the armaments industry, but in so doing he has grossly exaggerated the number of jobs involved. He also produced the rather lame excuse that this would hand this business to the Russians and the Chinese, but it isn’t that simple. The Saudis can’t just change their arms supplier at the drop of a hat. More fundamentally this sends a dreadful message that the White House condones this sort of behaviour. M.B.S. is a dangerous and reckless leader in one of the most volatile regions in the world. He is conducting a proxy war in the Yemen which is on the brink of causing an epic humanitarian catastrophe. He thinks nothing of imprisoning and torturing his opponents. His so-called reforms have allowed women to drive and yet he has locked up some of the leaders who campaigned for that reform. I am no great fan of the Turkish President Recep Erdogan, but I support his efforts to sideline Mr. Bone Saw. All of this leads one to the conclusion that Donald Trump is one of the most dangerous and inept of America’s Presidents, and I haven’t even started on Climate Change.