COST WILL THEY GO TO PRESERVE THAT STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP,
STEPHANIE.
STEPHANIE. >> ALL RIGHT, THANKS, HANS
NICHOLS.
NICHOLS. NOW LET’S GET THE VERY LATEST ON
THE KHASHOGGI INVESTIGATION.
TURKISH CRIME SCENE
INVESTIGATORS HAVE COMPLETED
ANOTHER SEARCH OF THE SAUDI
CONSULATE WHERE IT IS BELIEVED
HE WAS MURDERED.
HOURS BEFORE A TEAM ALSO
SEARCHED THE CONSUL’S HOME,
USING AN ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT TO
LOOK FOR BLOOD STAINS.
HERE IN THE STATE, "THE
WASHINGTON POST" PUBLISHED, IT
IS CHILLING TO READ THIS THING,
HIS FINAL COLUMN IN WHICH HE
URGES FREE EXPRESSION IN THE
ARAB WORLD, ARGUING, QUOTE, ARAB
GOVERNMENTS HAVE BEEN GIVEN FREE
REIN TO CONTINUE SILENCING THE
MEDIA AT AN INCREASING RATE.
WITH ME NOW, DAVID ROTHKOTH, A
VISITING SCHOLAR AT THE COREARNE
ENDOCUMENTWMENT WHO FOCUSES ON F
POLICY.
POLICY. WHEN YOU READ THE FINAL COLUMN
AND THINK ABOUT WHERE WE’VE BEEN
THE LAST 16 DAYS, IT’S STUNNING.
IS HIS PREDICTION TRUE?
AS YOU LOOK AT THE MEETING
POMPEO JUST HAD AND STILL NOT
CONFIRMING WHETHER OR NOT WE
KNOW IF HE’S DEAD.
WAS JAMAL KHASHOGGI RIGHT THAT
THIS BECOMES A ONE-DAY NEWS
STORY AND SILENCE?
>> WELL, I DON’T KNOW THAT IT’S
A ONE-DAY NEWS STORY.
BUT I THINK THERE IS A DARK
IRONY IN HIS COLUMN.
BECAUSE HE’S TALKING ABOUT
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.
AND OF COURSE WHAT WE’RE SEEING
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE AND FROM
THE SAUDIS IS AN EFFORT TO COVER
UP THE TRUTH.
THE TRUTH ABOUT A GUY WHO DIED
BECAUSE HE SOUGHT FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION.
EXPRESSION. THAT’S DEEPLY DISTURBING FOR
AMERICANS BECAUSE WE TAKE
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION FOR
GRANTED.
GRANTED. BUT IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN MANY
COUNTRIES, THEY ARE GETTING USED
TO THIS.
TO THIS. AND I DON’T THINK MANY OF THEM
EXPECTED TO SEE THE FULL TRUTH.
A LOT OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR
GETTING TO THE KIND OF TRUTH
THAT KHASHOGGI WAS SEEKING TO BE
DISPLAYED FREELY IN THE PRESS IS
GOING TO FALL ON OTHERS, OTHER
THAN THE SAUDIS, AND IT’S VERY
MYSTERIOUS, PERHAPS NOT
MYSTERIOUS, BUT PECULIAR THAT
THE UNITED STATES IS DEFERRING
TO THEM STILL IN THIS PARTICULAR
CASE.
CASE. >> SO THIS ADMINISTRATION IS
VERY GOOD AT MOVING THE NEWS
CYCLE ALONG.
CYCLE ALONG. THE PRESIDENT IS VERY GOOD AT
BRANDING AND MARKETING.
SO THEY COME OUT TODAY AND STEVE
MNUCHIN SAID I’M NOT GOING TO
THE SUMMIT ANYMORE, I’M OUT.
SO THAT PUTS OUT A POSITIVE
STATEMENT TO THOSE WHO ARE
DEEPLY CONCERNED.
DEEPLY CONCERNED. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, MIKE
POMPEO DID NOT DEMAND TO SEE OR
HEAR THE TAPES THAT TURKEY
CLAIMS TO HAVE THAT SHOW
KHASHOGGI’S APPARENT KILLING.
WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?
>> IT SAYS THEY’RE NOT
INTERESTED IN GETTING TO THE
TRUTH, THEY’RE INTERESTED IN
COVERING IT UP.
THE MNUCHIN DECISION WAS CLEARLY
A PUBLIC RELATIONS DECISION.
THIS DAVOS IN THE DESERT IS NOW
THE DUD IN THE DESERT.
>> THERE’S NOTHING FOR HIM TO
SEE AT THIS POINT.
>> I THINK THAT’S RIGHT.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE’RE IN THE
COVER-UP STAGE.
COVER-UP STAGE. WE’RE GOING TO GET INTO THE
STAGE WHERE THEM PRESENT A STORY
THEY THINK THEY CAN SELL.
YOU SEE THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES
ACTUALLY BELIEVES THIS GOES TO
BIN SALMAN.
BIN SALMAN. AND IF THE DEMOCRATS WIN IN
NOVEMBER, WE’RE LIKELY TO SEE
INVESTIGATIONS INTO WHO KNEW
WHAT.
WHAT. >> THAT’S A WHOLE LOT OF IFS.
I GO BACK TO BOB WOODWARD’S
BOOK.
BOOK. WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMED
PEOPLE IN THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY OR -- WOULD SORT OF
HUMOR THE JARED/MBS RELATIONSHIP
WHEN THEY KNEW THERE WAS NOTHING
TO COME FROM MBS BUT THEY
HUMORED IT.
HUMORED IT. SOMEONE LOST THEIR LIFE.
HOW REAL IS THIS GOING TO GET?
ESPECIALLY IF DEMOCRATS DON’T
WIN?
WIN? >> WELL, LOOK, YOU KNOW, BACK
THEN IN THOSE DAYS YOU HAD
LINDSEY GRAHAM.
LINDSEY GRAHAM. YOU HAD MAR CO-CO RUBIO.
YOU HAD OTHER PEOPLE CONTINUING
TO PUT UP THE FRONT OF A GOOD
RELATIONSHIP WITH SAUDI ARABIA.
YOU’VE SEEN A BIG CHANGE IN THE
REPUBLICAN SIDE --
>> IN WORDS.
JUST AS I SAID, MIKE POMPEO
DIDN’T SALEM SEE THE TAPES.
WE’RE SAYING, OH, WELL, LET ME
SEE THE CONSULATE.
THE WALLS WERE ALREADY PAINTED.
I MEAN, COME ON.
>> NO, LOOK, I TOTALLY AGREE
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU. FROM THE ADMINISTRATION SIDE,
IT’S A QUESTION OF WHETHER A
BIPARTISAN CONSENSUS WILL EMERGE
IN THE CONGRESS TO IMPOSE
SANCTIONS TO DO INVESTIGATIONS
AND TO SEEK WHAT THE PRESIDENT
SHOULD BE SEEKING.
BUT IT’S NOT GOING TO COME FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE.
WE KNOW THAT.
IT’S NOT GOING TO COME FROM
POMPEO.
POMPEO. WE KNOW THAT.
IT MAY NOT COME FROM THE
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. I DO THINK IT’S INTERESTING THAT
ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE THE UNITED
STATES INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
COMING TO A CONCLUSION AND
FINDING THE PRESIDENT ARGUING
AGAINST IT.
AGAINST IT. THIS IS IDENTICAL TO THE RUSSIA
CASE WHERE THEY CAME TO A
DIFFERENT CONCLUSION AND,
INDEED, IT’S IDENTICAL IN THE
SENSE THAT BACK THEN THE
PRESIDENT ACCEPTED PUTIN’S
OFFER, OR WANTED TO --
>> SAID HE DIDN’T DO IT.
>> TO DO HIS OWN INVESTIGATION.
WELL, I KNOW, BUT THAT WOULD