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Trump's Secretary of State Just Accidentally Told the Truth About His Trip to Saudi Arabia, and People Are Calling Him Out
Well, at least he admits it.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday traveled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to discuss the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi with the Saudi royal family.
As he prepared to fly to Turkey to discuss the Khashoggi matter with the Turkish president, Pompeo spoke with reporters and accidentally revealed the true intention of his meeting with the Saudis...or rather what it was not.
Pompeo said the Saudis assured him they would conduct a "complete, transparent investigation" into Khashoggi, and that the Saudis "made a commitment to hold anyone connected to any wrongdoing" accountable, including members of the royal family or any "senior officer or official."
When asked if the Saudis knew if Khashoggi is alive or dead, however, Pompeo said:
"I don't want to talk about any of the facts. They didn't want to either."
Pompeo went on to say that the visit was "incredibly successful in that sense" and that he looks forward to seeing the Saudis' report.
"We received commitments that they would complete this," Pompeo added, "and we're counting on them to do that."
Watch the full clip below:
Sec. of State Pompeo says Saudi Arabia told him their investigation into the disappearance and alleged killing of J… https://t.co/MjeDBzinuo— NBC News (@NBC News) 1539764141.0
Many journalists were appalled at Pompeo's response because the trip was sold to the public as a fact-finding mission - which clearly was not the case.
"The mission of Pompeo's trip was to find facts," tweeted Philip Rucker of WaPo.
The mission of Pompeo’s trip was to find facts https://t.co/UM4JIEtSTB— Philip Rucker (@Philip Rucker) 1539780535.0
MSNBC's Chris Hayes said the "entire charade is beyond disgusting."
This entire charade is beyond disgusting. https://t.co/U1UirwSJZo— Chris Hayes (@Chris Hayes) 1539781657.0
Walter Schaub, former director of the Office of Government Ethics, took it one step further by suggesting Pompeo is part of a cover-up.
The public simply isn't buying Pompeo's story. Many feel that President Donald Trump and his administration are willfully obfuscating the truth.
@chrislhayes @MedicVet68 The same charade they pulled with Kavanaugh— 💫✨ Johanna13 ✨💫 (@💫✨ Johanna13 ✨💫) 1539785550.0
@chrislhayes He doesn’t want to talk about any of the facts?!?!?!?!— Jo (@Jo) 1539781779.0
@CarducciJoanne @chrislhayes Well, look, Jo, there are facts, and then there are alternative facts. Who's really to… https://t.co/TwQeBxYAFB— Andrew (@Andrew) 1539782160.0
@chrislhayes Am I the only one who is starting to think that the Trump administration was in on this?— Mary E. (@Mary E.) 1539781866.0
@chrislhayes I don't want to talk about any facts? What a charade and cover up! I thought that was why Pompeo went… https://t.co/NAm1GE8eWk— JScub (@JScub) 1539782538.0
@chrislhayes The Trump adminstration is again not acting like an innocent party here.— Geoffrey Sorensen (@Geoffrey Sorensen) 1539781722.0
@chrislhayes @babytwin59 "I don't want to talk about any of the facts" pretty well sums up this administration.— Lynn Jones (@Lynn Jones) 1539784482.0
@chrislhayes So our Secretary of State doesn’t want to talk about the facts of an international scandal? WTF— Deborah Coyote (@Deborah Coyote) 1539782538.0
@chrislhayes @TaylorSJ90 EXCUSE ME!!!!!?????? Why doesn't he just say "I'm part of the coverup"?— Alex 🌅🌧🍜🍊🍃 (@Alex 🌅🌧🍜🍊🍃) 1539784126.0
People are understandably concerned that the United States' hands-off approach may actually make things worse.
@NBCNews @lrozen Hang on. So MBS will use the opportunity to purge his ennemies, on top of things?— Pierre Asselin 👣 (@Pierre Asselin 👣) 1539774274.0
@NBCNews And Putin said he didn’t hack our elections.— Amy (@Amy) 1539770011.0
@NBCNews Skip the investigation....they already strongly deny it— Milan T. Azar (@Milan T. Azar) 1539764873.0
@NBCNews They lie, can't be trusted.— Sam (@Sam) 1539765376.0
@NBCNews Why are the Saudis investigating? Shouldn't some other, non-biased entity be conducting that investigation… https://t.co/PS0Hr0tGWR— Everybody's Mama🇨🇦 (@Everybody's Mama🇨🇦) 1539777618.0
@NBCNews #Trump & Pompeo now chief propaganda spokesperson for Saudi Arabia. Shall we start calling them ‘Riyadh Bo… https://t.co/NyH3i1oXQU— BeSmart 🇬🇧 (@BeSmart 🇬🇧) 1539775725.0
@NBCNews The guilty investigate the guilty. What could go wrong??!!— Shantay Taygreeneyes (@Shantay Taygreeneyes) 1539786448.0
@NBCNews He also said “full and complete” investigation...just like Kavanaugh.— Estaban Gryphon 5th Column (@Estaban Gryphon 5th Column) 1539786005.0
@NBCNews Why are we not independently investigating??? It is ludicrous that we would wait for a Saudi investigatio… https://t.co/N7CfdFheJ6— Viviane Woodcock (@Viviane Woodcock) 1539783737.0
Khashoggi is believed to have been tortured and killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey earlier this month by 15 Saudi nationals wielding a bone saw.
Evidence the Saudis were involved is mounting, but for the Trump administration, it's business as usual, as the Saudi royals fiercely deny any involvement.
"We are strong and old allies so we face our challenges together," bin Salman (MBS) told Pompeo as he arrived in Riyadh.
State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert described Pompeo's talks with MBS as "direct and candid" and that Pompeo thanked MBS for "his commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent and timely investigation of Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance."
"Learning what happened to Jamal Khashoggi is the primary purpose of this trip and is of great interest to the president," Nauert said. "The secretary has made that clear in each of his meetings today."
Trump has suggested without evidence that “rogue killers” could be responsible for Khashoggi’s death despite audio and video recordings of the murder claimed to be in possession of Turkish officials and an evolving cover story being pushed by the Saudis.
The Saudi government is reportedly preparing to announce that Khashoggi, who was interrogated, tortured and murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul October 2, was killed by accident during a botched interrogation.
“Two sources close to the kingdom confirmed to CBS News later on Monday that the Saudi government was planning to admit he was killed, but call it an accident,” Tucker Reals reported on Tuesday.
It won’t be so easy, however, to write off the 15 Saudi operatives lying in wait inside the Saudi Consulate for Khashoggi’s arrival with a bone saw in hand as an accident.
But not everyone close to the administration is willing to take the Saudis at their word. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday said MBS was a "wrecking ball" who likely ordered the assassination of Khashoggi.
"He had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey, and to expect me to ignore it, I feel used and abused," Graham said on Fox & Friends.
The Turkish government is conducting its own investigation as well.
In a statement on Monday, Khashoggi's family called for an "independent and impartial commission to inquire into the circumstances of his death.”
"We are sadly and anxiously following the conflicting news regarding the fate of our father after losing contact with him two weeks ago, when he disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul," the statement said. "Our family is traumatized, and yearns to be together during this painful time."