NYT Discovers Trump's Saudi Hug Was 'Shocking,' Not Systemic
Representative Eugene Vindman calls Trump's 2019 phone call with Mohammed bin Salman 'shocking,' demanding declassification after Jamal Khashoggi's murder. While Trump's personal affinity for despots is well-documented, the 'shock' feels a bit manufactured. Was it more shocking than, say, every U.S. administration since FDR selling advanced weaponry and turning a blind eye to Saudi human rights
abuses for oil and regional stability? Remember the billions in weapons deals under Obama, or Biden's own fist-bump with MBS after promising to make them a 'pariah'? The selective outrage over one call ignores the consistent, bipartisan U.S. policy of enabling the Saudi regime. The question isn't just what Trump said, but why these deeply intertwined relationships only become 'shocking' when a
Democrat needs to score political points against a Republican.