Congress needs to Investigate Trump and the Saudis, not the Ukraine

The congressional impeachment investigation needs to focus on President Donald J. Trump’s (R-New York) relationship with Saudi Arabia, not the Ukraine.

Trump’s friendship with the Saudis could put thousands of American service people in danger and embroil the United States in a war with Iran. For example, NBC reports, Trump could deploy 2,800 U.S. troops, two fighter squadrons, an Air Force unit, and an additional THAAD missile defense system to Saudi Arabia.

Is Trump putting US Troops in Danger in Saudi Arabia?

Those troops could be in danger because the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen can strike deep into Saudi territory with drones.

In fact, on 14 September 2019, Houthi drones destroyed the Abqaiq and Khurais oil processing facilities. Those facilities are 500 miles inside Saudi Arabia.

If Houthi drones can hit Abqaiq and Khurais, they can attack US forces in Saudi Arabia. In addition, there is no evidence American forces have any defense against drones. Notably, the billions of dollars Saudi Arabia spent on; mostly American-built air defenses, were useless against the drones, CNN claims.

Moreover, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the Pentagon is shipping to Saudi Arabia is designed to stop ballistic missiles not drones. The US Air Force could deploy Raytheon’s Phaser; which is designed to destroy drones with microwaves, The Drive’s War Zone speculates. However, there is no evidence the Phaser works.

Why is Trump defending Saudi Arabia?

America has legitimate strategic interests in Saudi Arabia. But Trump’s murky relationship with that country’s government raises serious questions.

Notably, The Washington Post alleges a lobbying firm paid over $270,000 to book 500 rooms at the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC. The lobbyists started booking the rooms in December 2016 after Trump’s election.

The lobbying firm, the Qorvis/MSLGroup has long represented the Saudi Government in Washington DC. The Wash Post claims, Qorvis/MSLGroup rented the rooms for veterans.

President Trump’s family business; the Trump Organization, operates the Trump International Hotel. Trump’s sons; Donald J. Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, operate the Trump Organization.

GQ claims Donald R, Eric, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner; Ivanka’s husband, took part in questionable real estate deals. In addition, GQ alleges some of those deals are conflicts of interest. However, there is no evidence of Saudi real estate deals with the Trump Organization.

Trump, the WWE, and Saudi Arabia

Then there’s Trump’s old stomping grounds at World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE). To the disgust of wrestling fans everywhere, the WWE is planning Crown Jewel, a massive pay-per-view match in Saudi Arabia on 2 November 2019.

Strangely, the WWE could pay boxer Tyson Fury; who is not even a wrestler, $15 million to appear at Crown Jewel, Wrestling Edge claims. In addition, the online rumor mill claims; several wrestling stars including Brock Lesnar and former UFC champ Cain Velasquez, will get huge paychecks for appearing at Crown Jewel.

Moreover, high-profile WWE executive Eric Bischoff, the long-time head of the long defunct WWE rival WCW, left unexpectedly on 15 October 2019. News sites including f4wonline.com claim WWE CEO Vince McMahon fired Bischoff. It is not clear if Bischoff’s exit has anything to do with Crown Jewel or Saudi Arabia.

The Possible Link between the Saudi Crown Prince, the WWE, and President Trump

There is a potential Trump connection to Crown Jewel and the WWE. McMahon’s wife Linda McMahon is a former Trump administration official. Trump appointed Linda McMahon to head the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Linda McMahon left the SBA to chair the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action, Politico claims. Politico predicts Linda McMahon could become a major fundraiser for Trump’s reelection effort.

Moreover, Politico claims Linda McMahon donated millions to Trump’s election effort in 2016. Thus, you can speculate the McMahons could use PAC America First Action to funnel Saudi money to the Trump campaign.

The Possible Connection between Trump’s Big Money Boss and Saudi Arabia

Notably, a PAC America First Action press release calls Linda McMahon “Trump’s Big Money Boss.”

Therefore, conspiracy theorists can speculate Linda McMahon and the WWE could move money from controversial Saudi Crown Prince; and wrestling mark, Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud (MBS) to Trump’s reelection effort. To elaborate, MBS could pay the WWE to put on Crown Jewel.

Then Linda McMahon could donate that money to PAC America First Action. Supposedly, Linda no longer works at WWE but her husband, son; Shane McMahon, daughter Stephanie McMahon, and son-law and wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque still run the company.

Consequently, I think a smart move for House Democrats is to send a few subpoenas over to WWE headquarters and PAC America First Action. In particular, I think the Democrats need to subpoena Eric Bischoff and the entire  McMahon family.

Trump and Saudi Arabia

Disturbingly, President Trump has sided with Saudi Arabia against his own Republican allies in the US Senate.

On 16 April 2019, Trump vetoed a Senate resolution to end US military support for Saudi Arabia’s war against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The resolution passed by a margin of 54 to 46. However, the Senate could not override Trump’s veto on 2 May 2019 because Senators Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) did not vote, Politico observes.

Critics including The American Conservative’s Daniel Larison accuse the Saudis and their allies of human rights violations in Yemen. The Houthis attacked Abqaiq and Khurais in retaliation for Saudi attacks on them.

Hence, American troops are in Saudi Arabia because of a conflict Trump could end. In addition, the President makes US forces a Houthi target by supporting the Saudi War in Yemen.

Cynics will wonder if Trump is repaying the Saudis for campaign donations, or payments to the Trump organization. Even if such allegations are pure speculation, Trump looks bad here.

Why Aren’t Democrats investigating Trump and Saudi Arabia?

I think the US House of Representatives needs to redirect its impeachment investigation from the Ukraine to Saudi Arabia.

In particular, the families of American service people need to know if the President is putting their loved ones’ lives at risk for fund raising. However, I think such an investigation is unlikely.

I suspect, Democrats fear any such an investigation could expose their connections to Saudi Arabia. My suspicion is that Trump is not the only American politician receiving MBS’s dark money.

The recent behavior of some Senators lends credence to such suspicions.For instance, why were Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) absent from the vote to override Trump’s veto of the Senate measure ending support for the war in Yemen?

What Politicians are Receiving Money from Saudi Arabia?

My guess, is that many of our leaders are receiving money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Importantly, the current Ukraine investigation exposed alleged illegal behavior by former Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden (D-Delaware), and his son Hunter.

Hence, Democratic leaders; such as U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California), could be more interested in protecting their party’s reputation than protecting our troops. Thus, Americans need to condemn both parties for the entanglement in Saudi Arabia.

I think the Trump/WWE/McMahon/Saudi affair could become a major scandal if drones kill US military personnel in Saudi Arabia. Another public relations nightmare for Trump, MBS, and the WWE could be a drone attack on Crown Jewel.

In conclusion, I think the potential Saudi Arabia scandal is so bad the House cannot ignore it. Expect, Saudi Arabia to haunt Trump for a long time. The House of Representatives needs to do its job and investigate Saudi Arabia.