>> ALL RIGHT, I WILL SEE YOU THERE.
THERE. I’LL BE DRESSED UP AS THIS.
>> SOUNDS GOOD.
HAVE A GOOD SHOW.
>> THANK YOU, JOY.
>> BYE-BYE.
>> BYE-BYE. >>> WELL, TODAY THE DICTATORSHIP
THAT CALLS ITSELF THE KINGDOM OF
SAUDI ARABIA INSULTED THE WORLD
WITH ITS WRITTEN EXPLANATION OF
HOW "THE WASHINGTON POST"
JOURNALIST JAMAL KHASHOGGI WAS
MURDERED INSIDE THE SAUDI
CONSULATE IN ISTANBUL.
HERE IS THE INTELLIGENCE
INSULTING WRITTEN STATEMENT BY
THE SAUDI DICTATORSHIP.
A STATEMENT WHICH IN AND OF
ITSELF IS AN OFFENSE AGAINST
DECENCY AND HUMANITY.
THE STATEMENT SAYS, THE RESULTS
OF THE PRELIMINARY
INVESTIGATIONS REVEALED THAT THE
DISCUSSIONS THAT TOOK PLACE WITH
THE CITIZEN JAMAL KHASHOGGI
DURING HIS PRESENCE IN THE
CONSULATE OF THE KINGDOM IN
ISTANBUL BY THE SUSPECTS DID NOT
GO AS REQUIRED, AND ESCALATED
NEGATIVELY, WHICH LED TO A FIGHT
BETWEEN THEM AND THE CITIZEN
JAMAL KHASHOGGI, WHICH
AGGREGATED THE SITUATION AND LED
TO HIS DEATH.
MAY GOD REST HIS SOUL.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR ATTEMPT TO
CONSEAL WHAT HAPPENED AND TO
COVER IT UP, WHILE THE
INVESTIGATIONS ARE STILL ONGOING
IN THE CASE WITH THE 18
DETAINEES OF SAUDI NATIONALITY,
THE KINGDOM EXPRESSES ITS DEEP
REGRET THAT THE PAINFUL OUTCOME
AND STRESSES THE COMMITMENT OF
THE AUTHORITIES IN THE KINGDOM
TO BRING THE FACTS TO THE PUBLIC
AS WELL AS HOLDING ALL THOSE
INVOLVED AND BRINGING THEM TO
JUSTICE BY REFERRING THEM TO THE
COMPETENT COURTS IN THE KINGDOM
OF SAUDI ARABIA.
NOW, HERE IS A PICTURE OF JAMAL
KHASHOGGI.
KHASHOGGI. HE IS OBVIOUSLY PHYSICALLY
INCAPABLE OF BEING INVOLVED IN
ANYTHING THAT COULD BE CALLED A
FIGHT WITH 15 SAUDIS WHO FLEW
INTO ISTANBUL SPECIFICALLY TO
GRAB HIM WHEN HE WALKED INTO
THAT CONSULATE.
THAT CONSULATE. JAMAL KHASHOGGI WAS OBVIOUSLY
PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE OF PUTTING
UP ONE SECOND OF PHYSICAL
RESISTANCE TO ANYTHING, ANY ONE
OF HIS MURDERERS CHOSE TO DO TO
HIM.
HIM. ESCALATED NEGATIVELY.
ESCALATED NEGATIVELY. IT’S HARD TO EVEN CALL THIS
LANGUAGE A LIE.
IT IS SOMETHING FAR BEYOND A
LIE.
LIE. JAMAL KHASHOGGI WAS INCAPABLE OF
ESCALATING ANY VIOLENCE AGAINST
ANY OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO MURDERED
HIM.
HIM. NOT FOR ONE SECOND.
THE STATEMENT SAYS THE FIGHT
BETWEEN THEM AND THE CITIZEN
JAMAL KHASHOGGI, WHICH
AGGREGATED THE SITUATION LED TO
HIS DEATH.
HIS DEATH. APPARENTLY THEY MEAN TO SAY
EGGRAVATTED THE SITUATION.
THIS POISONOUS DICTATORSHIP
BELIEVED IT COULD SEND THOSE
WORDS OUT OF THE BUBBLE TODAY.
AND SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD THEY
BELIEVED THEY WOULD ACCEPT IT,
THAT SOMEONE SOMEWHERE COULD
ACCEPT THE IDEA THAT JAMAL
KHASHOGGI AGGRAVATED THE
SITUATION AND THAT LED TO HIS
DEATH.
DEATH. SAUDI ARABIA DOES NOT HAVE
ANYTHING THAT THE REAL WORLD
WOULD RECOGNIZE AS A COURT
SYSTEM, BUT THE SAUDI ARABIAN
DICTATORS BELIEVE THEY COULD PUT
OUT A STATEMENT TODAY SAYING
THAT THIS CASE COULD BE HANDLED
BY, QUOTE, THE COMPETENT COURTS
IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A COMPETENT
COURT IN SAUDI ARABIA.
THERE NEVER WILL BE AS LONG AS
THE DICTATORSHIP IS IN PLACE.
AND SO WHO IN THE WORLD -- WHO
IN THE WORLD WOULD BELIEVE
ANYTHING -- ANYTHING IN THE
SAUDI STATEMENT TODAY?
WHO WOULD BELIEVE THAT JAMAL
KHASHOGGI WAS CAPABLE OF
AGGRAVATING THE SITUATION THAT
LED TO HIS DEATH?
WHO WOULD BELIEVE THAT SAUDI
ARABIA HAS COMPETENT COURTS?
WHO IN THE WORLD WOULD BELIEVE
ANYTHING IN THAT STATEMENT?
>> I THINK IT’S A GOOD FIRST
STEP.
STEP. IT’S A GOOD STEP.
IT’S A LOT OF PEOPLE INVOLVED.
AND I THINK IT’S A GREAT FIRST
STEP.
STEP. >> THAT’S DONALD TRUMP IN
ARIZONA TONIGHT IN A MEETING
WITH DEFENSE CONTRACTORS, WHEN
HE WELCOMED THIS BIG FIRST STEP
THAT THE SAUDI ARABIAN DICTATORS
HAVE MADE BY ISSUING THIS
STATEMENT THAT IS LIE FROM START
TO FINISH.
TO FINISH. IT WAS AS IF A SCRIPT WRITER HAD
PLACED HIM IN THAT SETTING TODAY
IN THE MOVIE OF THE MADNESS OF
TRUMP.
TRUMP. THERE HE IS SITTING WITH THE
DEFENSE CONTRACTORS WHO
CONTRIBUTE TO HIS CAMPAIGN AND
WHO WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH
SAUDI ARABIA, AND HE UPDATES THE
DEFENSE CONTRACTORS ON TODAY’S
NEWS.
NEWS. >> SAUDI ARABIA’S BEEN A GREAT
ALLY, BUT WHAT HAPPENED IS
UNACCEPTABLE.
UNACCEPTABLE. WE ARE GOING TO SEE THEY’VE
ARRESTED JUST FOR THE PEOPLE AT
THE TABLE, A LARGE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE HAVING TO DO WITH THE
EVENT THAT TOOK PLACE IN TURKEY
IN THE CONSULATE, THE SAUDI
CONSULATE.
CONSULATE. AND IT’S A BIG FIRST STEP.
IT’S ONLY A FIRST STEP, BUT IT’S
A BIG FIRST STEP.
>> LEADING OFF OUR DISCUSSION
NOW JOSH, NATIONAL POLITICAL
REPORTER FOR NBC NEWS.
ALSO JOINING US AMBASSADOR
ROBERT JORDAN, FORMER U.S.
AMBASSADOR TO SAUDI ARABIA FROM
2001 TO 2003.
AND-AIRMY BASH, AN MSNBC
NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST AND
FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF AT THE CIA
AND DEFENSE DEPARTMENT.
I WANT TO GET YOUR REACTION
FIRST TO THE SAUDI STATEMENT
TODAY.
TODAY. >> LAWRENCE, I HARDLY KNOW WHAT
TO SAY.
TO SAY. IF IT WEREN’T SO TRAGIC I WOULD
RECALL THE FAMOUS WORDS OF
SERGEANT SCHULTZ, I
KNOW-NOTHING, I’M NOT HERE.
IT’S ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHING THAT
THEY WOULD COME UP WITH THIS
INCREDIBLY LAME STORY.
I THINK IF IT WAS PROBABLY A
FIGHT, I THINK IT WAS JAMAL
KHASHOGGI FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE
AS THEY WERE CHOPPING OFF HIS
FINGERS.
FINGERS. BUT THAT’S AS CLOSEST TO A FIGHT
I COULD IMAGINE.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY OUTLANDISH.
IT’S JUST ASTONISHING THEY HAVE
COME UP WITH THIS.
>> AMBASSADOR, YOU SERVED AS
GEORGE W. BUSH’S AMBASSADOR TO
SAUDI ARABIA, YOU WERE
THEREAFTER 9/11 UNTIL 2003.
IF PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD ASKED YOU
TO RETURN TO SAUDI ARABIA AS AN
AMBASSADOR, IF YOU WERE
AMBASSADOR THERE TONIGHT WHAT
WOULD YOU HAVE SAID TODAY IN
SAUDI ARABIA?
SAUDI ARABIA? >> WELL, FIRST THING I WOULD SAY
TO PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD BE OUR
ALLY IN THIS IS THE KINGDOM OF
SAUDI ARABIA IS NOT MOHAMMED BIN
SALMAN, AND I THINK YOU NEED TO
DEPERSONALIZE THIS.
DEPERSONALIZE THIS. WE DEFINITELY NEED AN ALLIANCE
WITH A COUNTRY LIKE SAUDI ARABIA
IN THE MIDST OF A VERY ROUGH
NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
BUT I WOULD CAUTION HIM AGAINST
BLINDLY LISTENING TO ANYTHING
THESE PEOPLE SAY.
I’LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
WHEN I ARRIVED IN SAUDI ARABIA
AFTER 9/11 ONE OF THE FIRST
THINGS I DID WAS TO GO TO PRINCE
SALAMAN, THEN PRINCE NOW KING
SALAMAN, AND I ASKED HIM HOW
COULD THE HIJACKETERS ON 9/11 BE
SAUDIS, AND HE SAID THESE WERE
NO SAUDIS WHATSOEVER, THIS WAS
THE NO-SAUD PLOT.
AND IT MADE ME REALIZE YOU CAN’T
TAKE AT FACE VALUE ANY REPATION
THEY
THEY THEY MAKE.
THEY MAKE. THANKFULLY WE HAD MORE
COOPERATIVE HEADS WHO WORKED
WITH US AT THE TIME.
THIS KING SALMAN WAS OUT OF
SPACE THEN AND I THINK THIS
ADMINISTRATION IS OUT OF SPACE
NOW.
NOW. >> LET’S LISTEN TO THE PRESIDENT
TONIGHT WHEN HE WAS ASKED THE
QUESTION DO YOU CONSIDER THIS
EXPLANATION BY THE SAUDIS TO BE
CREDIBLE.
CREDIBLE. LET’S LISTEN TO THIS.
>> DO YOU CONSIDER IT CREDIBLE,
THEIR EXPLANATION?
THEIR EXPLANATION? >> I DO.
>> I DO. AGAIN, IT’S EARLY.
WE HAVEN’T FINISHED EARLY REVIEW
OR INVESTIGATION, BUT I THINK
IT’S A VERY IMPORTANT FIRST
STEP.
STEP. AND IT HAPPENED SOONER THAN
PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN.
>> JEREMY BASH, DONALD TRUMP
SAYING HE TAKES THAT WRITTEN
STATEMENT TO BE CREDIBLE.
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO TAKE
APART IN IT, BUT ONE THING
THAT’S KIND OF SPECIAL FOR TRUMP
IS HE AND HIS REPUBLICAN FRIENDS
HAVE SPENT YEARS SCREAMING ABOUT
SHARIA LAW, SCREAMING ABOUT THE
KIND OF COURTS THAT THEY HAVE IN
SAUDI ARABIA.
SAUDI ARABIA. AND SAUDI ARABIA SAYS AT THE END
OF THAT STATEMENT, WHICH DONALD
TRUMP NOW FINDS CREDIBLE IS THAT
THEIR COMPETENT COURTS ARE GOING
TO TAKE CARE OF THIS.
>> LAWRENCE, I DON’T THINK WE
ARE ANY CLOSER TO THE TRUTH
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. AND I THINK THE UNITED STATES
HAS TO CONDUCT ITS OWN
INVESTIGATION OF WHAT HAPPENED,
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO RELY ON
OUR INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITIES
BUT ALSO OUR INTELLIGENCE AND
OUR INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
AND THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT
BECAUSE THE CONGRESS OF THE
UNITED STATES AS PART OF ITS
OVERSIGHT OF INTELLIGENCE WILL
ASK THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
INCLUDING OUR MAIN AGENCIES WHAT
DO WE KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED?
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS STORY
THAT’S BEING PUT FORTH TONIGHT?
WHAT’S FACT, WHAT’S FICTION?
AND I THINK THE CONGRESS IN
SHORT ORDER IS GOING TO WELL
UNDERSTAND A LOT MORE THAN WE
ARE BEING TOLD AT THIS HOUR.
>> I WANT TO GO TO ONE MORE
THING THAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
TONIGHT BECAUSE THERE IS THIS
JUST AFFECTION ABOUT THE SETTING
HE WAS IN TONIGHT, SITTING THERE
WITH DEFENSE CONTRACTORS, THE
DEFENSE CONTRACTORS WHO
CONTRIBUTED TO HIS CAMPAIGN.
THE DEFENSE CONTRACTORS WHO
WANTED TO DO BUSINESS WITH SAUDI
ARABIA NO MATTER WHO THEY KILL,
NO MATTER WHO THEY BEHEAD, NO
MATTER WHO THEY TORKER.
THEY’RE READY TO DO BUSINESS
WITH THEM, AND SO IS TRUMP.
LET’S LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAID
ABOUT CONTINUING TO DO BUSINESS
WITH SAUDI ARABIA.
>> IN DEFENSE WE HAVE $110
BILLION.
BILLION. I WOULD SAY ALMOST 100% OF IT
WOULD BE SITTING AROUND THIS
TABLE.
TABLE. BY THE WAY, WE’RE GOING TO TAKE
$25 BILLION WORTH OF SALES FROM
YOU BECAUSE THAT WOULD MEAN A
LOT OF JOBS AND EVERYTHING.
I’VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS WITH
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. CONGRESS IS VERY INTERESTED ON
THIS ONE.
THIS ONE. I WOULD PREFER WE DON’T USE AS
RETRIBUTION CANCELING $110
BILLION WORTH OF WORK.
>> JOSH LETTERMAN, IN OTHER
WORDS HE WOULD PREFER THERE BE
NO RETRIBUTION WHATSOEVER, NO
PRICE FOR SAUDI ARABIA TO PAY
FOR THIS.
FOR THIS. >> THE PRESIDENT WAS FORTHCOMING
ABOUT THIS EVEN BEFORE THE
SAUDIS CAME OUT WITH THEIR
EXPLANATION.
EXPLANATION. HE SAID HE DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE
THAT STEP.
THAT STEP. HERE’S WHAT’S SO ALARMING ABOUT
WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY, LAWRENCE.
LET’S SAY FOR THE SAKE OF
ARGUMENT ASSUME THAT EVERYTHING
THE SAUDIS SAID TONIGHT IS THE
HONEST TRUTH.
HONEST TRUTH. WE’RE ALL TALKING ABILITY HOW
INCREDILOUS THE STORY IS, BUT
LET’S SAY IT’S TRUE FOR A
SECOND.
SECOND. THAT MEANS THE SAUDIS BY THEIR
OWN ADMISSION HAD THEIR
INTELLIGENCE SERVICE SEND A TEAM
INTO A FOREIGN COUNTRY, INTO A
CONSULATE TO LAY IN WAIT FOR ONE
OF THEIR OWN CITIZENS TO CONDUCT
AN EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION, GOT
IN A FIGHT WITH THEM, KILLED HIM
AND THEN CONDUCTED A COVER-UP TO
DISPOSE OF THE BODY IN SOME TYPE
OF UNDISCLOSED FASHION WHILE THE
SAUDI GOVERNMENT CONTINUED TO
TELL THE WORLD FOR 17 DAYS THAT
HE WAS ALIVE AND HAD LEFT THE
CONSULATE.
CONSULATE. NONE OF THAT IS EVEN REMOTELY
ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR BY
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, EVEN IF
WHAT THE SAUDIS ARE SAYING
TONIGHT WERE TRUE.
>> AMBASSADOR JORDAN, WOULD YOU
EXPECT FOR SAUDI ARABIA TO HAVE
ANYTHING THAT WOULD RESEMBLE A
PUBLIC TRIAL, A PUBLIC AIRING OF
EVIDENCE AGAINST THE PEOPLE
THEY’RE CURRENTLY DETAINING?
>> NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT.
IT WOULD BE CONDUCTED IN SECRET.
THERE MAY BE A SENTENCE HANDED
DOWN, PERHAPS EVEN A DEATH
SENTENCE AND THEN IT WOULDN’T
SURPRISE ME A YEAR OR TWO LATER
AFTER THEY STAY ON DEATH ROW YOU
QUIETLY HEAR OF A PARDON,
CLEMENCY GRANTED PERHAPS BY
RAMADAN BY THE KENGING.
>> JAMAL KHASHOGGI’S EDITOR AT
"THE WASHINGTON POST" TONIGHT
TWEETED THIS.
TWEETED THIS. SHE SAID KHASHOGGI WAS A
60-YEAR-OLD MAN.
60-YEAR-OLD MAN. WHAT SORT OF EQUAL FIGHT WOULD
HE HAVE HAD AGAINST 15 OTHER
MEN, AND WHO BRINGS A BONE SAW
TO A DISCUSSION?
THE STUPIDITY OF THE SAUDI
EXPLANATION IS MIND-BOGGLING,
AND JEREMY BASH, THAT STUPIDITY
DONALD TRUMP HAS SAID TONIGHT HE
FINDS BELIEVABLE.
FINDS BELIEVABLE. >> AND THE BIG QUESTION,
LAWRENCE, REALLY IS WHETHER THE
U.S.-SAUDI RELATIONSHIP --
BECAUSE ALTHOUGH OBVIOUSLY
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN BEARS SORT
OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AT
THIS HOUR FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING
IN THE KINGDOM AND FOR HOW THE
KINGDOM IS COMMUNICATING WITH
THE WORLD, THERE IS NO
ALTERNATIVE TO MOHAMMED BIN
SALMAN, IT’S NOT LIKE THE UNITED
STATES CAN SNAP ITS FINGERS AND
SAY WE WANT SOMEBODY ELSE IN
THAT VITAL ROLE AS LEADING THAT
COUNTRY AS THE HEIR APPARENT TO
A KING.
A KING. SO THERE REALLY IS NOBODY ELSE.
SO THE UNITED STATES IS GOINGO
HAVE TO DECIDE OVER THE NEXT
MONTHS AND YEARS HOW AND WEATHER
IN WHICH TO RELY ON SAUDI ARABIA
TO PURSUE AMERICAN INTERESTS, TO
BE A COUNTERWEIGHT TO IRAN, TO
BE A COUNTERWEIGHT TO al-QAEDA
AND ISIS, TO BE INVOLVED IN
DIPLOMACY INVOLVING SYRIA,
INVOLVING OTHER AREAS OF THE
MIDDLE EAST THAT ARE VITAL TO
OUR INTERESTS.
OUR INTERESTS. I THINK WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO
WORK WITH SAUDI ARABIA, BUT
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE
OUT A NEW WAY OF DOING SO AFTER
THIS INCIDENT.
THIS INCIDENT. >> WE’RE HEARING AS WE HAVE IN
THE PAST NOISES FROM CONGRESS
MEMBERS OBJECTING, BUT IT’S HARD
TO BELIEVE THERE ARE ANY
CONGRESS MEMBERS IN THE HOUSE
AND SENATE WHO WOULD ACTUALLY
CONDUCT HEARINGS OF ANY KIND OF
INVESTIGATION OF ANY PART OF
THIS AS LONG AS THE REPUBLICANS
HAVE THAT POWER.
>> IT’S A GOOD QUESTION.
THERE ARE TWO SENATORS WHO ARE
ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE WHO HAVE
BEEN PRETTY OUTSPOKEN ABOUT THIS
IN THE RUN UP TO THIS EVENING.
THAT WOULD BE MARCO RUBIO AND
LINDSEY GRAHAM.
LINDSEY GRAHAM. AND THEY HAVE REALLY PUSHED FOR
A HARD LINE, A HARD RESPONSE.
THERE HAS BEEN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT
THINGS LIKE TRYING TO BLOCK ANY
FUTURE ARMS SALES, CUTTING OFF
DISCUSSIONS WITH THE SAUDIS
ABOUT A CIVILIAN NUCLEAR
AGREEMENT, WHAT’S KNOWN AS A
ONE, TWO, THREE AGREEMENT AND
OTHER STEPS TO TRY TO CREATE
SOME DISTANCE FROM THIS.
BUT CERTAINLY IF THE PRESIDENT
HEADING INTO AN ELECTION IS
TALKING ABOUT THE JOBS AND MONEY
COMING INTO THIS COUNTRY AS A
RESULT OF THIS MASSIVE SAUDI
ARMS DEALS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO
SEE HOW REPUBLICANS EN MASSE TRY