Why is Trump parroting Saudi Arabia’s lines on Jamal Khashoggi even before they do?

Trump joins Saudi Arabia’s Khashoggi coverup.

Who needs an anonymous Saudi official when you have the president of the United States?

For the second time this week, President Trump on Tuesday seemed to preview the Saudi line when it comes to the disappearance and potential murder of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. Even if you set aside Trump’s repeated emphases that the Saudis deny wrongdoing — which is a Trump tell if there ever was one — his comments betray an apparent willingness to float and parrot Saudi talking points in a way that shouldn’t escape notice.

There are a few potential reasons for that. It could be because the Saudis skillfully tempted Trump to parrot their line. It could be because they expressly told him what he should pass along and he dutifully did it. Or it could be because Trump is hearing what he wants to hear and believing what he wants to believe. Trump rather clearly doesn’t want to shake up the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, either through new sanctions or scaling back an arms deal. He has also repeatedly noted that Khashoggi isn’t a U.S. citizen, which appears indicative of a softer potential punishment.

But regardless of which of the three options it is, it’s worth asking why the president of the United States is saying the exact things the Saudis would like him to say — at a time when they are supposed to be on the defensive over the potential killing of a journalist for a U.S. newspaper.

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