Khashoggi's ties to extremists face new attention as D.C. renames street after him
Biden under fire for planning to visit Saudi Arabia next month, with critics resurfacing story of slain dissident.
A day after the White House announced President Biden will visit Saudi Arabia next month, the street in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C. was renamed for Jamal Khashoggi, the slain Saudi dissident who was a columnist for the Washington Post.
Supporters hailed Wednesday's unveiling of a street sign reading "Jamal Khashoggi Way" to honor a man described as a champion of freedom and democracy, echoing the praise heaped on Khashoggi by political elites and mainstream media outlets following his 2018 death.
The ceremonial designation for the block that houses the Saudi embassy will serve as "a constant reminder, a memorial to Jamal Khashoggi's memory that cannot be covered up," said Phil Mendelson, chairman of the D.C. Council, which voted unanimously for the name change.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation that resulted in Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment released last year.
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden agrees with the conclusion of that assessment.
"Through his journalism, Jamal Khashoggi was a fierce advocate for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law," said D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto, who introduced the bill to rename the street.
"He knew that by shining a light on Saudi Arabia and seeking truth, he risked his freedom and indeed his life … everyone who visits the embassy in Washington, D.C. will be reminded of Mr. Khashoggi’s courage, and the indispensable values of free speech and a free and independent press."
Beyond the image of a martyred journalist who died defending democratic values, however, critics argue there is another side to Khashoggi's story that has received less attention — one that reveals a political operative who rubbed elbows with extremists and held anti-Western views.
This full picture, according to experts who spoke to Just the News, raises questions about the decision to honor Khashoggi with a street sign in the nation's capital.
Putting a man who wrote and spoke "glowingly" of Osama bin Laden "on the same level as some of the men and women who have founded and served the United States is a particularly embarrassing travesty," said Kyle Shideler, director for homeland security and counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy.
Shideler was alluding to the fact that Khashoggi was a close friend of bin Laden, and said that he cried when the al Qaeda leader was confirmed dead in May 2011.
"I just fell apart crying heartbreak to you, Abu Abdullah," Khashoggi tweeted in Arabic hours after the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden, referring to him by his nom de guerre when fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
"You were beautiful, brave in those beautiful days in Afghanistan before you succumbed to anger and passion."
https://justthenews.com/government/security/khashoggis-shady-ties-again-under-microscope-after-dc-renames-street-after-him