Seems pretty straightforward. The Saudis felt comfortable with kidnapping and killing Jamal Khashoggi because Trump is in their pockets. Just another example of the costs of a compromised President. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/saudi-rec…
Trump's transactional presidency isn't just a matter of style or character (or lack thereof), but a literal consequence of his financial entanglements with despots and strongmen in both the Middle East and Russia. The idea that this guy is president is absurd.
When Trump lackeys like @LindseyGrahamSC claim there will be "hell to pay" over Khashoggi, he's furthering the fiction that this president may even be capable of acting on principle or in the national interest. It's categorically impossible. And yet, Reps continue to support him.
The Saudis are also clearly reading the total inability of congressional Republicans to act as a check on Trump. They know plenty are Trumpist in orientation, and those that perhaps aren't (@BenSasse) are too craven to act in meaningful ways. American impotence is at its peak.
America has never been more impotent because people with power to hold Trump accountable to American values refuse to do so. They are completely compromised. The Saudis know that when @LindseyGrahamSC says there will be "hell to pay" the threat is entirely empty. It's truly sad.
