MSNBC: CIA Has ‘Medium To High Confidence That the Crown Prince ‘Probably Ordered Khashoggi’s Death’

BRZEZINSKI: "The 'Wall Street Journal' has reviewed unreported excerpts from the highly classified CIA assessment on the murder of 'Washington Post' columnist Jamal Khashoggi which reveals some of the evidence linking Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince to the killing. It includes at least 11 text messages Mohammed bin Salman himself sent to his closest adviser who oversaw the team that killed Khashoggi just hours before and after the murder on October 2nd. In addition, in what the CIA reportedly says, quote, seems to foreshadow the Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi back in August 2017, MBS told associates that if efforts to convince Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia fail, they could, quote, possibly lure him outside Saudi Arabia. The assessment also states that the CIA has, quote, medium to high confidence that the Crown Prince, quote, personally targeted and probably ordered Khashoggi’s death. Although it adds, quote, to be clear, we lack direct reporting of the Crown Prince issuing a kill order. The CIA’s judgment is based on MBS's personal focus on Khashoggi and his tight control of the kingdom and the operatives involved in the murder and MBS’s, quote, authorizing some of the same operators to violently target other opponents, adding, it’s, quote, highly unlikely they would act without his authorization. I don’t know what more the President needs. The President has questioned and dismissed our intelligence agency’s assessment saying it did not offer a definitive conclusion. Again, sewing doubt. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian media is reporting that MBS and Trump had a, quote, friendly meeting at the G-20. Trump later told reporters that he, quote, had no discussion with MBS although a White House official tells NBC News the two, quote, exchanged pleasantries at the leaders’ session."