In Hosting MBS, Trump 'Showed Nothing but Debility'

Hours after the Washington Post editorial board was called out for failing to mention Jamal Khashoggi ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's trip to the White House, the board let loose, blasting President Trump for rolling out the red carpet for a dictator the CIA concluded ordered the 2018 assassination of its own columnist. MBS is "one of the nastiest" people—not "one of the most respected people in the world" as President Trump claimed Tuesday, the board writes, adding that Trump catering to him was "weak, crass and of no strategic benefit to America." Ultimately, Trump "showed nothing but debility."

Trump's claims that MBS "knew nothing about" Khashoggi's murder—carried out by a team including members of his personal security detail—and that "a lot of people didn't like" the journalist "stand at odds with the facts and are beneath the office of the president," the board continues. The better move would've been to ensure MBS is held accountable and "comes back begging for forgiveness—not be greeted cost-free with an honor guard of black horses, herald trumpeters and fighter jets," the board writes, noting MBS and other dictators will be emboldened to "mistreat not just journalists but any Americans—knowing that they'll probably face no real consequences." Read the full piece here.