There's breaking news! Saudi royals have finally settled on the lie they wish to tell the world about the brutal bone saw murder of U.S. journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Yes, that's right. They will now admit he is dead, but here is their story, in a nutshell, via CBS News.
They report: "Discussions that occurred between the reporter Jamal Khashoggi and the people that were questioning him while he was in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul led to an argument and fighting with hands which led to his death."
Yes, that's right. They're trying to say he was being questioned when a fistfight broke out and he took on 15 or so Saudi thugs. It's laughable.
Rep. Ted Lieu scoffed at this nonsense, as did we. "I'm pleased that Saudi Arabia has finally realized that when you cut up a human being into little pieces they will in fact be dead," Lieu told MSNBC.
John Amato questions how it is that the dudes involved in the fist fight just happened to have dismemberment tools with them. Fair point.
Another respondent warned never to bring fists to a bone saw fight.
More details at the Washington Post
The Saudi government said it had fired five top officials and arrested 18 other Saudis as a result of the initial investigation. Those fired included Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri.
The announcement marks the first time that Saudi officials have acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. Ever since he disappeared on Oct. 2 while visiting the mission, Saudi officials have repeatedly said that he left the consulate alive and that they had no information about his whereabouts or fate. He had gone to the consulate to obtain a document he needed for an upcoming wedding.
All snark aside, if Saudi Arabia thinks we're going to accept this ridiculous excuse for the brutal, bloody death of a journalist, guess again. Do they think we're all as stupid as Trump?