Oh, wait, no, the WP Editorial Board aren’t worried about that, they’re worried about a Muslim Brotherhood defending, Islamist reporter
Saudi Arabia’s trial for Khashoggi’s murder is a travesty. Congress must insist on justice.
IT MIGHT not have been a coincidence that as the new Congress convened Thursday, Saudi Arabia announced the opening of a trial of 11 people charged in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. After all, the U.S. Senate so far has come closest to imposing meaningful consequences on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who the CIA believes oversaw the 15-member hit team that awaited Mr. Khashoggi when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018. In December, the outgoing Senate unanimously approved a resolution holding the crown prince responsible for the killing, in spite of his denials and President Trump’s attempts to cover for him. Senators also invoked provisions of a human rights law that will require the administration to issue a finding about Mohammed bin Salman’s responsibility in the coming months.
If the Saudi action was meant to head off further congressional action, it was pathetically weak. The government press agency reported that an initial court hearing had been held and that a state prosecutor planned to seek the death penalty for five of those charged. But the court hearing was not public, and none of the suspects was named. By all indications, not just the crown prince but also other senior officials whom Saudi authorities have previously accused of involvement in the murder have not been charged. Instead, a small group of security personnel, who undoubtedly followed orders when they participated in the attack, are being set up as scapegoats. Those to whom the death penalty is applied will be beheaded, in keeping with the kingdom’s barbarity.
While the murder was terrible, it had little to do with the U.S. other than that Khashoggi did some work for the Washington Post. Yet, the Post, like most other leftist media outlets, isn’t particularly concerned over the recent murder off police officer Ronil Singh by a previously deported illegal alien, who was being helped by six other illegal aliens. This was a direct result of the policies of Democrats, including California’s sanctuary city and state policies
Outgoing California Gov. Jerry Brown said the death of police officer Ronil Singh has “nothing” to do with the state’s “sanctuary” status.
Singh, a 33-year-old Newman police corporal, was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant when Singh stopped him on the suspicion of drunk driving early in the morning on Dec. 26. After a two-day manhunt, Mexican national Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, was arrested as he was preparing to flee to Mexico, according to authorities. He has been charged with murder.
Brown was asked by ABC-affiliate KXTV whether California’s sanctuary law was at fault. “I think people now are looking to blame somebody because of the terrible things that happened,” the Democrat told the outlet, adding, “but it had nothing to do with the law of California.”
Brown signed a “sanctuary state” bill in 2017 that limits law enforcement officers’ cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
In this case, the law had everything to do with the murder, as law enforcement wouldn’t have been restricted from taking 5 minutes to pick up a phone or sending an email to ICE to come pick Arriaga up. Yes, many illegal aliens commit crimes that have little to do with sanctuary jurisdiction policies, as the illegal hadn’t been caught and released previously. In this case, the blood lies on the hands of Brown and the Democrats who passed the law, and for law enforcement for refusing to do the right thing and contact ICE about someone who is illegally present in the U.S.
So when will the Post demand justice for Singh? When will they demand that Congress take action to make sure things like this won’t happen again? Take action against a state that is blatantly flaunting federal law? Take action against a state that is providing aid and comfort for criminals?
