Trump Will Help Saudi Arabia to go Away With Journalist's Murder

US media report that Saudi Arabia is preparing an official report acknowledging the murder of journalist Jamal Hashkaji, but not guilty of this. Donald Trump is unlikely to punish the kingdom, even though he sent Mike Pompeo to Riyadh

Saudi Arabia on the verge of recognizing the murder of journalist Jamal Hashkaji. CNN writes that the Saudi authorities are preparing a report according to which the death of Hashkaji was the result of a special operation for which Riyadh allegedly did not give permission.

It seems that the Saudi authorities want everyone to hobnob and disclaim responsibility for the murder, which for all is already obvious. Hashkaji was an open critic of the Saudi regime, and he knew the whole story. Turkey has already transferred to the American media audio recordings of torture recorded with the help of AppleWatch on the hand of a journalist. Hashkaji himself warned his bride that he might not return from the consulate. On the same day, two special flights departed from Turkey to Saudi Arabia, apparently with the body of the victim on board. What other evidence is needed here?

Harassment of the opposition in the country of the Persian Gulf is a well-known fact. We can recall the blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 1000 lashes. Or the execution of Shiite preacher Nimr al-Nimr in 2016, because of which Iran almost declared war on Saudi Arabia.

However, every time Riyadh broke the foundations of democracy, it got away with it. Apparently, it will be this time. Donald Trump, although he said about the readiness to "severely punish" the perpetrators, and even sent his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Riyadh, is unlikely to impose sanctions. Trump cares about the US military-industrial complex and is not ready to sacrifice a bargain for the sake of democracy.

During Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia last year, the United States signed contracts for an exorbitant amount of 280 billion - more than all US exports to Europe. Washington is not ready to lose such a fat client. And in general, Saudi Arabia is a reliable ally in the fight against Iran, Trump's personal enemy.

No, of course, Hashkaji will not be forgotten. At the right moment Trump will remind about him. As King Salman was recently reminded that without the Americans, he would not stand two weeks in power. Before the congressional elections, Trump will put pressure on the Saudis so that they do not provoke any rise in oil prices. Also, Saudi Arabia is expected to be more active in order to create the anti-Iranian project “Arab NATO”, which will include the countries of the Persian Gulf, Jordan and Egypt.

The Turks, on whose territory this terrible murder happened, do not need to quarrel with the kingdom. The journalist sympathized with the Muslim Brotherhood, which Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar supported during the Arab Spring in Syria and Egypt. In addition, Ankara took the side of Qatar in 2017, when Riyadh provoked the blockade of Qatar by the countries of the region. In addition, Erdogan opposes the pro-Saud group of Jabhat al-Nusra in the Syrian province of Idlib. However, Turkey is in economic crisis and needs Saudi investment, so its reaction will be no more aggressive than the US.