The New York Times has taken another strong action against Saudi Arabia in response to the disappearance of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi.
The Times has decided to cancel three previously scheduled trips to the country as part of the newspaper’s “Journey” tour program, a Times spokesperson told TPM in a statement Monday. The program takes guests on excursions with Times correspondents and other experts. The Saudi trip, which cost $11,995 a person, was set to focus on the country’s past and future oil production.
“In light of the uncertainty surrounding the disappearance of the Washington Post’s Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey, The New York Times has decided to cancel all upcoming Times Journeys departures to Saudi Arabia,” spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades said in an email. “All affected passengers will have their tour costs refunded in full.”
Just last week, the Times announced it had pulled out of the investment conference in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 23, coined “Davos in the Desert.” Several other companies, like JP Morgan and Uber, as well as media groups, like CNN, CNBC and the Financial Times have canceled their participation in the conference in response to claims from Turkish officials that Khashoggi was murdered by Saudis inside the consulate in Istanbul.
The Saudi government has denied all the allegations about Khashoggi’s death. The journalist hasn’t been seen since he entered the consulate attempting to get divorce records at the beginning of October. Turkish officials said last week that they had audio and video evidence that Khashoggi was tortured, killed and dismembered by Saudi officials inside the consulate.
I guess Ivanka and Jared won’t get this trip on the taxpayer dime. But I am sure they will claim a loss on their taxes.
NYT has run this very touching essay by the fiance of Khashoggi. They would have been married by now.
I hope she has good security.
Cheeto Mussolini’s whine that the Saudis will cancel arms purchases if we hold their feet to the fire over this is troubling for me.
First America should never allow our country integrity to be held hostage for business gain. The jobs argument is a shiny bauble but it’s insignificant.
Second our security is not enhanced by being the world’s largest arms dealer. (See Pakistan)
Thirdly the argument that the Saudis will buy elsewhere if we offend them is a non-starter. They do not want to buy inferior or second class weaponry which is what they’d get from Russia or China. It’s doubtful that the EU would look favorably at supplying them and they’d never turn to Israel.
Trump says “rogue killers” probably did the Khashoggi killing.
So then, does the Saudi Embassy have any security check at the door for weapons of unknown “rogue” people?? High schools, all sorts of public buildings do that here.