12/13/2018

MEDIA/MILITARY/SAUDI ARABIA/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WAR: “The Senate on Thursday [12-13-18] passed a resolution condemning Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, ratcheting up pressure on President Donald Trump who has aligned himself with the Saudi kingdom in the aftermath of the brutal killing. Just prior to passing the resolution by a voice vote, the Senate also overwhelmingly approved a resolution by a 56-41 vote that would require the US to end its military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, a move aimed both at ending that war and expressing anger at the Trump administration’s handling of relations with Saudi Arabia. All told, it amounted to the most significant break within Congress toward Saudi Arabia in decades — and the firmest response from Capitol Hill since the Khashoggi murder in October. But Republican leaders in the House may put a halt to the push and ultimately side with Trump. The vote on the Yemen resolution reflected the frustration senators from parties have with the vast human suffering from the war and President Donald Trump’s embrace of the crown prince despite widely accepted evidence from US intelligence agencies that he ordered the killing of Khashoggi.”

Clare Foran, Ted Barrett and Manu Raju, “Senate rebukes Trump, condemns Saudi crown prince for Khashoggi murder,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, December 13, 2018 8:26 pm