Morning Politocadoes!
Hurricane Michael was downgraded to a Tropical Storm, but wind and rain continue to pour down on states in its wake. While the winds have decreased to 50 -60 mph, winds have picked up in certain parts of Georgia, leading to the possibility of severe flash flooding as the storm continues on to the Carolinas and Virginia.
Meanwhile, other storms are brewing in Washington. The recent abduction and murder of Washington Post Khamal Kashoggi was shown to be ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) according to US intercepts. The Trump Administration has been slow in responding to these events, initially claiming that they had no advance information. But the truth is a lot murkier, not only was there information about a plot to capture or otherwise detain Kashoggi but it had also been disseminated throughout the government, available in reports to any officials who routinely worked on U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia.
Now, the government has an obligation to warn if harm is believed to be intended. A lot of what’s being said right now hinges on whether the U.S. was aware of any harm being involved and whether his being lured and abducted constitutes an ‘arrest’ and anything else that happened wasn’t part of the plan.
Naturally, this poses some problems for Trump. The intercepts implicate Salman directly, and the Saudi Crown Prince is of course close with members of the administration.
And who is that dashing, shadowy figure? That mad genius of daring-do?! Why, yes! It’s Jared Kushner, Boy Adventurer!
Jared and MBS reportedly “have had private, one-on-one phone calls that were not always set up through normal channels so the conversations could be memorialized and Kushner could be properly briefed.”
That’s just the kind of two-fisted no-nonsense diplomacy you get from Real Estate’s canniest wunderkind, Jared Kushner! The Saudis, the Russians, the Emirati, the Chinese, they can all be handled with a one on one phone call or other back channels! All thanks to the sly tactics of our Boy Adventurer!
Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule is in effect because we’re better than him. Get a hold of a Mod for any potential Sex Clam posts for featuring.