Vox:

President Donald Trump just put out a doozy of a statement that indicates he won’t seriously punish Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi in October.

It’s hard to be sure, though, because the statement — titled “Standing with Saudi Arabia” — is such a rambling, hard-to-follow, exclamation-point-ridden mess.

A few things seem clear, however, like the fact that Trump won’t hold Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — the country’s de facto ruler, who is also known as MBS — accountable for Khashoggi’s death. MBS had close ties to members of the 18-man team that killed Khashoggi and possibly carried his dismembered body through Istanbul’s airport.

“[I]t could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump wrote in the statement, which the White House issued on Tuesday. “We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi.”

Regardless, Trump doesn’t seem to see this as a reason to sever or weaken ties with Riyadh. He continues, saying, “The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region.”

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