Want to know what corruption and foreign influence looks like in practice? Here ya go. <thread> 1/
Earlier today, 13 days after he went missing, the good folks at @MiddleEastInst put out the below statement. To the best of my knowledge (though they should correct me if I'm wrong), this is their first public statement on the matter. 2/ 
Remember, this is an organization that bills itself as "providing non-partisan, expert information and analysis on the Middle East." It is also, according to them, "the oldest Washington-based institution dedicated solely to the study of the Middle East." 3/
These are carefully crafted statements designed to portray impartiality, being above-the-fray of partisan politics, and neutrality. In other words, we should listen to them because they're just telling us the 'truth' and giving us 'expert' analysis. 4/
Funny thing about that though is that it's all a lie. A carefully crafted, meticulously maintained lie that their two-week silence and subsequent milquetoast response to the most significant event in US-Middle East relations in quite some time lays bare. 5/
A few things about their statement first and then why that might be. They start out strong "shock" "outrage" "murder" to make clear they're taking this seriously. But here's the thing, two weeks in, their "shock" is more than a bit feigned. 6/
But the truly telling part is the end, where they turn to "accountability" & making demands. In a blatant attempt to muddy the waters, they don't call out #SaudiArabia as everyone on the planet is doing. Instead, they call out Saudi, Turkey, and the US, lumping them together. 7/
In fact, they just call on the three of them to "act swiftly to bring out the truth about what happened to Mr. Khashoggi and to hold accountable those responsible." Compare that to what we've heard from others in the past 2 weeks: politico.com/story/2018/10/… 8/
So what explains the silence, softness of the message, and the purposeful muddying of the waters around this being Saudi Arabia. I think it's safe to say $$$. 9/
Let's start by remembering that this is the same think tank that was exposed for trying to keep secret a $20 million donation from the UAE. Corruption like that is seldom a one time thing. It's usually a SOP, a business model. 10/ theintercept.com/2017/08/09/gul…
We also know that Saudi Arabia, both through their Embassy and via Saudi Aramco, were two of MEI's top 8 funders last year. Of course, this is just what they self report and remember, they a history of being less than forthcoming with this kinda thing (see previous tweet). 11/
It seems worth noting that another big MEI backer is Raytheon, who is a "corporate sponsor" of theirs and just so happens to have a massive, pending arms sale to Saudi Arabia that suddenly seems more than a bit in doubt. 12/ businessinsider.com/r-us-arms-make…
What we still don't know is the full scope and size of financial conflicts of interest that @MiddleEastInst has from those whom they claim to cover as neutral experts. They raised $26 million in 2016 and 2017 alone. How much of that came from Saudi Arabia? From Raytheon? etc. 13/
The truth is we have no way of knowing because that's how the corrupt system of foreign influence in today's Washington works. Folks like @BenFreemanDC are doing amazing work pulling back the curtain, but there's still far more that we don't know than what we do know. 14/
Until we get a lot more transparency, we're going to continue to see Washington's so-called neutral purveyors of expert analysis corruptly influence America's foreign policy decision making. We can and must do better, and it shouldn't take political assassinations to make us. 15/
The tragic murder of Jamal #Khashoggi is not just a horrific attack on free speech and a violation of countless norms, it is a revealing example of the corruption of Washington's foreign policy establishment. 16/
Now that the curtain is being pulled back, and we're seeing the truth spill out onto the front pages of every media outlet, it's time to ask what we're going to do to change this. Because one thing is clear, we cannot continue to allow things to return to the status quo. 17/17
🚨 Update! Reporting by @emilyctamkin of @BuzzFeedNews is that @MiddleEastInst has *for now* decided to stop taking Saudi money. Final verdict will be “pending the outcome of the investigation” into #Khashoggi assassination.
We’ll need to watch to see how this holds up over time, and again, they’ve kept their foreign funding under wraps before, but this would be a welcome development!
