>>> WELCOME BACK. RIGHT NOW THE SENATE AS YOU SEE
THERE VOTING ON WHETHER TO
OVERRIDE TRUMP’S VETO OF THREE
BILLS BLOCKING THE SALE OF
WEAPONS TO SAUDI ARABIA.
ALL THREE ARE EXPECTED TO FAIL,
BUT THE BILLS PASSED BOTH
CONGRESSIONAL CHAMBERS WITH
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT PRESIDENT AND
WERE WIDELY SEEN AS A
CONDEMNATION OF TRUMP’S CLOSE
RELATIONSHIP WITH SAUDI ARABIA
IN THE WAKE OF THE BRUTAL MURDER
OF "WASHINGTON POST" COLUMNIST
JAMAL KHASHOGGI.
JAMAL KHASHOGGI. TODAY MY COLLEAGUE AYMAN
MOHIDEEN OUT WITH AN OP-ED.
BREAKING DOWN "THE EXTENT TO
WHICH SAUDI AUTHORITIES HAVE
GONE TO IMPRISON, REPATRIATE AND
EVEN MURDER COUNTRYMEN WHO DARE
PROTEST THE KINGDOM’S POLICIES
OR MALIGN THE IMAGE OF THE
NATION."
NATION." MANY HAVE POINTED TO TRUMP’S
COZINESS WITH THE DE FACTO RULER
OF THE KINGDOM, SAUDI CROWN
PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN,
KNOWN AS MBS.
NOW, DESPITE A UNITED NATIONS
REPORT DIRECTLY LINKING HIM TO
KHASHOGGI’S KILLING, TRUMP HAD
THIS TO SAY ABOUT HIM JUST LAST
MONTH.
MONTH. >> THE CROWN PRINCE OF SAUDI
ARABIA, A FRIEND OF MINE, A MAN
WHOA HAS REALLY DONE THINGS IN
THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ON
BEHALF OF A LOT OF PEOPLE AND I
WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU.
YOU’VE DONE REALLY A SPECTACULAR
JOB.
JOB. >> ALL RIGHT.
I’M JOINED BY AYMAN MOHIDEEN,
CO-HOST OF "MORNING JOE" FIRST
LOOK.
LOOK. GOOD TO BE ON YOU -- MY CO-HOST.
>> 12-HOUR DAYS.
>> SO WE’RE JUST HEARING NOW THE
VOTES HAVE ALL FAILED.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> SO IT SEEPS AS IF MBS,
DESPITE ALL THAT HAS GONE ON,
DESPITE YOUR INVESTIGATION,
FINDING OUT SO MANY OF THESE
DISSIDENTS, THESE ACTIVISTS GONE
MISSING.
MISSING. PEOPLE WITHIN THE ROYAL FAMILY
GONE MISSING.
GONE MISSING. THE BRUTAL KILLING OF JAMAL
KHASHOGGI AT THE EMBASSY IN
TURKEY.
TURKEY. MBS, THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
NOT BEING HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR
THEIR ACTIONS.
THEIR ACTIONS. >> IF YOU ASK U.S. OFFICIALS AND
WE HAVE POSED QUESTIONS TO THEM,
THEY WILL SAY THOSE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE KILLINGS, AT LEAST ON A
MIDLEVEL WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT
AND OPERATIONAL, YOU KNOW,
LEVEL, WOULD HAVE BEEN HELD
ACCOUNTABLE BY THE U.S. BECAUSE
THEY’VE BEEN SANCTIONED, BUT,
REALLY, WHEN YOU KIND OF LOOK AT
IT AND DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER,
IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THE WAY
THIS PLAYED OUT AND THE WAY
THESE OPERATIONS HAVE BEEN
CARRIED OUT AS WE’VE BEEN
INVESTIGATE OVER THE PAST COUPLE
OF MONTHS THAT THERE WASN’T MORE
OF A COORDINATED WIDER POLICY IN
PLACE TO TRY TO SILENCE THESE
CRITICS.
CRITICS. SO IF THERE IS A WILLINGNESS TO
ACCEPT WHAT HAPPENED TO JAMAL
KHASHOGGI ON A PERSONAL LEVEL,
THE QUESTION THEN BECOMES IS
WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO
ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR
MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN CONGRESS
AND OTHERS TO TRY AND HOLD SAUDI
ARABIA ACCOUNTABLE FOR SOME OF
THESE ACTIONS?
THESE ACTIONS? BECAUSE WHAT WE’VE LEARNED AND
AS WE’VE REPORTED ON ON OUR NBC
NEWS SITE IS THAT MORE AND MORE
AMERICANS HAVE BEEN CAUGHT UP IN
THIS.
THIS. SOMETIMES INTENTIONALLY.
SOMETIMES INTENTIONALLY. THEY’VE GONE AFTER DUAL
CITIZENS, SAUDI AMERICAN
CITIZENS.
CITIZENS. SOMETIMES THEY’VE GONE AFTER
SAUDI CITIZENS WHO HAVE AMERICAN
RELATIVES.
RELATIVES. IN OTHER CASES, AMERICANS HAVE
LITERALLY BEEN KIDNAPPED WHILE
THE SAUDIS WERE TARGETING SAUDI
ROYALS AND PRINCESSES THAT MAY
HAVE BEEN INVOLVED OR PART OF
THAT ENTOURAGE.
THAT ENTOURAGE. >> TALK ABOUT THAT PORTION OF
YOUR PIECE, THE THREE AMERICANS
KIDNAPPED.
KIDNAPPED. WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?
>> THERE WAS A PROMINENT ROYAL
PRINCE WHO WAS BRINGING A
COMPLAINT FOR THE WAY HE TREATED
THEM.
THEM. HE ACCUSED THEM OF KIDNAPPING
HIM FROM SWITZERLAND AND BACK TO
SAUDI ARABIA.
SAUDI ARABIA. HE CAME TO THE UNITED STATES AND
WANTED TO FILE THAT COMPLAINT.
SO THE SAUDI ARABIAN GOVERNMENT,
ACCORDING TO OUR INVESTIGATION,
WENT AFTER HIM AGAIN.
THIS TIME THEY KIDNAPPED HIM
FROM FRANCE AND BROUGHT HIM TO
SAUDI ARABIA.
SAUDI ARABIA. PART OF HIS ENTOURAGE INCLUDED
THREE AMERICANS, AND THESE THREE
AMERICANS WERE BROUGHT INTO THE
KINGDOM, HELD AGAINST THEIR
WILL.
WILL. THEIR PHONES, THEIR LAPTOPS ALL
CONFISCATED.
CONFISCATED. THEY WERE FORCED TO SIGN
NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS BEFORE
THEY WERE SENT BACK TO THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY
RARELY REPORTED ON, AMERICANS
LIKE THESE THREE INDIVIDUALS
HAVE BEEN CAUGHT UP IN SOME OF
THESE OPERATIONS THAT THE SAUDIS
HAVE CARRIED OUT.
>> YOU HAVE INSTANCES OF
ACTIVISTS KIP NAPPED AND TAKEN
NEVER TO BE HEARD FROM AGAIN.
WE KNOW OF THE INCIDENT WITH
JAMAL KHASHOGGI.
JAMAL KHASHOGGI. WE HAVE HEARD FROM OUR
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES THAT MBS
WAS INTEGRAL TO WHAT TOOK PLACE
WITH JAMAL KHASHOGGI AT THAT
EMBASSY.
EMBASSY. HOW MUCH A PART WITH SOME OF THE
PIECES THAT YOU FOUND WAS MBS?
>> IT’S REALLY HARD TO FIND A
SILVER BULLET OR SOME KIND OF
DECREASE THAT SAYS DO THIS, BUT
AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN YOU
KIND OF TALK TO SAUDI EXPERTS
AND AMERICAN AND WESTERN
OFFICIALS WHO TRACK THIS, IT’S
HARD TO IMAGINE THAT SOMETHING
LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN INSIDE
THE KINGDOM WITHOUT THE
KNOWLEDGE OF THE SENIOR LEADERS
OF THAT COUNTRY.
THIS IS NOT A ROGUE OPERATION.
THIS SEEMS TO BE A PATTERN OF
BEHAVIOR.
BEHAVIOR. SO THAT’S WHY EXPERTS HAVE BEEN
SAYING IT SEEMS MORE AND MORE
LIKELY THAT THERE WAS A POLICY
IN PLACE THAT WAS DESIGNED FROM
THE POWERS THAT BE HIGH ABOVE
AND TO BE EXECUTED BY MID-LEVEL
OFFICIALS ACROSS THE GOVERNMENT
IN THE VARIOUS ASAUDI AND
SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE
AGENCIES.
AGENCIES. >> IT’S A BREATH TAKINGTAKING PI