Breakthrough journalism on US support for Saudi #WarCrimes in #YemenWar (NYT @laforgia_ @ewong).
Implicates Obama and Trump administrations' support.
Key item:
Trump admin. dropped conditions on Saudis with big result: US officials became liable for those war crimes.
THREAD
2. A mechanism for US officials to avoid personal liability for war crimes involved assurances/conditions placed on the arm sales.
But senior Trump State Dept officials apparently dropped that mechanism.
Inspector General August report showed the problem.
Then guess what...
3. The State Department buried a significant passage in Inspector General's report by moving the UNCLASSIFIED text to the classified annex.
the New York Times obtained the earlier draft text.
4. As that NYT excerpt shows, Marik String (State Dept's acting legal adviser) played a central role in all this.
Plus: "String tried to pressure Steve A. Linick, the inspector general, to drop his investigation."
String goes before Congress (#HFAC) on Weds
He'd be advised...
5. Marik String, the State Dept's top lawyer, would be well advised to get himself a personal attorney before testifying before Congress on his alleged role in US aiding and abetting Saudi war crimes in Yemen.
As professor @oonahathaway put it bluntly in New York Times report.👇
6. The U.S. support for Saudi-led Coalition's war crimes in Yemen War is an issue we've focused on @just_security.
NYT links to 3 Just Security articles:
@oonahathaway on missing State Dept Memo
Isa Qasim on conditions on US arms sales
Me on aiding and abetting liability
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