Murder, child pornography, ballrooms and Trump’s new Saudi bestie

Managing editor Michelle Pini examines recent events at the White House and considers whether Americans are finally waking up to the MAGA cult.

It’s a strange world where a president of the United States of America, a self-proclaimed patriot country with many armed men and women vowing revenge if one of their own is harmed by a stranger, would go out of his way to defend someone. named Approved killing by US intelligence Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Yet in this new world, most ruled by a convicted criminal, up is down, night is day (though black can never be white) and well, “things happen”.

A NEW BEST FOR MURDER AND POTUS

However, yesterday Trump said: Crown Prince Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman gave a truly royal welcome at the White House and did his best to show that bygones are bygones. said combined media:

Many people did not like the gentleman you mentioned. [Khashoggi].

Some things happen whether you love him or not, but he [Crown Prince Salman] We didn’t know anything about it and we can leave it at that.

Interestingly, what “happened” in this case involved brutal murder and dismemberment. washington to mail On October 2, 2018, the reporter is at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

In 2021, the CIA concluded that the Crown Prince approved the assassination of the journalist, for which the Saudi Government put great effort. cover up.

Unsurprisingly, this damaged relations between the two countries. By now it seems that Trump no longer believes in his own intelligence agencies and feels the need to defend a foreign leader’s involvement in a violent, premeditated murder.

But well, “A lot of people didn’t like this gentleman.” There are smiles everywhere now. What is the dead diary between friends and old enemies? After all, there is money to be made. In this case, in the form of the promise of $11 trillion in Saudi investment.

Given Trump’s family business interests regarding the Saudis, he seems to be smiling all the way to the bank, but you know, nothing to see there!

After the deal was made, Trump told the Prince:

We’ve been really good friends for a long time. We have always been on the same side on every issue…

I just want to say that it’s an honor to be your friend. It’s an honor to have you here.

GOLDEN BALLROOM

The friendship and honor did not end there. The evening also hosted a black tie gala dinner in honor of the Saudi Crown Prince.

There’s no doubt that $11 trillion buys a lot of ties.

It will also probably help complete what was planned. palace style ballroomTrump’s lament was that he wasn’t ready in time to host the Prince, and that he would be much more suitable because he would be attuned to a lot more ties.

The planned gold ballroom is expected to cost $300 million. Never mind that while the Trump administration approved the grand ballroom, it also froze food aid funding that 42 million Americans rely on.

CHILD PORNOGRAPHY FILES

Meanwhile, the US Congress voted overwhelmingly to release U.S. Department of Justice files (declassified) on late sex offenders and former longtime friend of Trump jeffrey epsteinIt is believed to contain details of Epstein’s sex trafficking and child pornography activities. The Senate later announced that the bill would pass even before its official passage.

This is, of course, great news for Epstein survivors. Nobody’s holding their breath yet. After all, Trump campaigned primarily for the release of the files. Later, after he was elected, he opposed their release with much greater fervor, disparaging the move as a “Democrat hoax” and labeling anyone who dared to advocate it as a “traitor.”

Finally, because the writing was clearly on the wall and Trump did not want to appear to have lost the Congressional vote, he made another complete comeback a few days ago and announced that he would no longer oppose the release of the Epstein Files if the bill passed.

“We have nothing to hide”said POTUS.

But no matter what the files hide, the atmosphere is always changeable in the Trump White House, and the files cannot be released without Trump’s signature. In fact, it’s not over until we see them. And even then, hopefully, not everything in it has been proofread beforehand.

However, the near-unanimous passage in Congress of a measure that Trump vehemently opposes (the first measure) presents a chink in MAGA’s armor.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former loyalist cult member (now branded a traitor by Trump), was flanked by victims of Epstein’s abuse as she addressed Epstein’s members outside the U.S. Capitol. print.

Taylor Green in question:

HE [Trump] He declared me a traitor because I sided with these women and refused to remove my name from the discharge petition…

Let me tell you what a traitor is.

The traitor is the American who serves foreign countries and themselves.

A patriot is an American who serves the United States and Americans, like the women who stand behind me.

It seems Americans are also unimpressed with Trump’s handling of the Epstein investigation.

They are also unfazed by skyrocketing prices and a weakening job market as the golden ballroom approaches. It looks like even some Republicans may be waking up to Trump’s decision. approval rating It is currently at its lowest level since its return to power.

It might be worth noting that many Australian conservatives, not just Far Right nuts, still praise this POTUS and are trying to emulate his methods here.

Follow managing editor Michelle Pini at Bluesky @michellepini.bsky.social and Independent Australia on Bluesky @independentaus.bsky.socialX/Twitter @independentaus and Facebook HERE.

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