Epstein's Saudi Ties Emerge, Not the State Department's
CBS News delicately reports on Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged contacts with the Saudi royal family and travel to the Kingdom, with Ghislaine Maxwell in tow. This exposé, while perhaps satisfying for those who enjoy scandals involving dead pedophiles, conveniently sterilizes the broader, well-documented historical relationship between Western governments and the Saudi regime. It’s almost as if the
intelligence community isn’t aware of numerous other unsavory dealings that didn't require a private jet and underage girls—just a pen for arms deals. While Epstein’s sordid connections grab headlines, where is the comparable outrage from these same outlets about the cozy relationships between US administrations and Riyadh's Crown Princes over the decades? The 'shock' over Epstein's individual
moral failings neatly sidesteps the systemic moral compromise involved in supplying weapons, intelligence, and political cover to a regime with its own extensive record of human rights abuses. One might wonder if the real story isn't Epstein's trips, but the normalized 'diplomacy' that paves the way for so much worse.