Remember: Trump’s not the only one who loves him a tyrannical psychopath.
by digby
As we contemplate Trump’s latest betrayal of the US and its allies with his excuses for Kim Jong Un continuing to test missiles and threatening his neighbors, I’m reminded of this blast from the past.
I still think Jared Kushner should be prosecuted on espionage charges. There are people in Pelican Bay today for doing stuff like this:
Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman bragged of receiving classified US intelligence from Jared Kushner and using it as part of a purge of ‘corrupt’ princes and businessmen, DailyMail.com can disclose.
The de facto ruler of the Middle East’s largest economy is currently on a US tour which has seen him meet President Donald Trump in the White House, hold talks with a string of the country’s richest and most influential people and book the entire Four Seasons in Beverly Hills for himself and his entourage.
Sources have told DailyMail.com that the prince – known by his initials MBS – has been boasting about his close relationship with the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, and the intelligence which he has told his circle Kushner passed to him.
Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has been boasting about his close relationship with the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.
Kushner was said to have a late night meeting discussing intelligence with Salman in October. Kusher and Salman are pictured above with Ivanka Trump at the Murabba Palace in Riyadh last May
Relationship: Jared Kushner took part in a lunch at the White House last week which his father-in-law threw for Mohammed bin Salman
The crackdown on ‘corruption’ in the Saudi kingdom was led by MBS and began in November, days after he had met Kushner for talks in Riyadh.
But it saw allegations of torture as hundreds were rounded up, including princes from rival parts of the Saudi royal family and some of the country’s wealthiest businessmen.
DailyMail.com revealed a photograph showing the detainees sleeping on the floor of a ballroom at the Riyadh Ritz Carlton, and disclosed that some had been tortured.
The New York Times later reported that one of the detainees had died from his injuries.
Most are said to have reached ‘settlements’ with the Saudi government, and MBS himself boasted in a 60 Minutes interview that the government had regained at least $100 billion from them.
Kushner claimed through his attorney Abbe Lowell that it was a ‘false story’.
Peter Mirijanian, Lowell’s spokesman, said: ‘The alleged exchange never happened. Mr Kushner was and is well aware of the rules governing information and follows those rules.’
Despite Kushner’s denial sources have told DailyMail.com how MBS boasted in private that Kushner was the source of intelligence used in the round-up.
He also told members of his circle that the intelligence included information on who was disloyal to him. There is no way to independently verify the truth of the boast.
‘Jared took a list out of names from US eavesdrops of people who were supposedly MBS’s enemies,’ said one source, characterizing how MBS spoke about the information.
‘He took a list out of these people who had been trashing MBS in phone calls, and said ‘these are the ones who are your enemies’.
The crackdown saw allegations of torture as hundreds were rounded up, including princes from rival parts of the Saudi royal family and some of the country’s wealthiest businessmen, and brought to the Riyadh Ritz Carlton
DailyMail.com revealed a photograph showing the detainees sleeping on the floor of a ballroom at the Riyadh Ritz Carlton, and disclosed that some had been tortured. The New York Times later reported that one of the detainees had died from his injuries
‘MBS was actually bragging about it in Saudi Arabia when it happened, that he and Jared sat up until 4am discussing things, and Jared brought him this list.’
The Riyadh source said: ‘They sat for several hours together. They literally laid out the future map of the entire region, that’s why they stayed up to the early hours of the morning from the afternoon before.’
The intelligence allegedly discussed during Kushner’s visit to the Middle East last October was said to have came from U.S. wiretaps on conversations between Arab royals in hotels in London, in major U.S. cities and even on yachts docked close to Monte Carlo, a favorite playground of the super-rich.
A separate source told DailyMail.com that it was being said in the Gulf that the president’s son-in-law took a copy of information from the daily intelligence briefing provided by the intelligence community to the White House, and shared its contents with MBS.
The intelligence named several family members who were opposed to his rise, it was said.
‘Kushner got hold of an intelligence briefing,’ said the Riyadh palace source, recounting the version which originated with MBS. ‘At that time he had a high level of security clearance and had access to that. He copied it and provided its contents to MBS.
‘The CIA are doing their job by briefing the president on what is happening internationally.
‘This is a briefing by the CIA to tell the president that some members of the Saudi royal family are plotting in this and that country.
‘Kushner took that part of the briefing and flew to Saudi Arabia to impress MBS.’
Honestly, if you want to contemplate why they didn’t want to give this guy a top security clearance this might be a clue.
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