HUSH MONEY

Saudi Arabia Paying Khashoggi’s Children Thousands Every Month

Each sibling is getting at least $10,000 monthly, plus multimillion-dollar homes.

Saudi Arabia appears to be buying silence from the children of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the form of million-dollar houses and thousands of dollars every month, The Washington Post reports. Officials told the newspaper that the payments are an attempt to force the Khashoggi family to be restrained in their public statements about the killing of their father by Saudi operatives in Istanbul six months ago. The homes and monthly payments of at least $10,000 to each sibling were approved by King Salman in an attempt “to make a wrong right,” the officials added. It’s possible that the two sons and two daughters could also receive tens of millions of dollars as part of “blood money” negotiations that are expected to take place when the trials of Khashoggi’s accused killers are completed. A Saudi official rejected the suggestion that the Khashoggi family was being forced to remain silent. “Such support is part of our custom and culture,” the official said. “It is not attached to anything else.”

opinion

FRIENDS LIKE THESE

Bezos Blackmail Bid Exposes Saudis Again as Our Worst Ally

David Rothkopf