Pentagon Contradicts Trump On $1B Saudi Payment

Vox reports:

During an interview on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show Friday night, President Donald Trump made a stunning announcement: Saudi Arabia was paying the US $1 billion to send US troops to defend it from Iran. “We’re sending more [troops] to Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia is paying us for it,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Listen, you’re a very rich country. You want more troops? I’m going to send them to you, but you have to pay us.’ They’re paying us. They’ve already deposited $1 billion in the bank.”

In a statement to Vox, Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich said, “The Department of Defense has engaged Saudi Arabia on contributing to US activities that support regional security and dissuade hostility and aggression.” But the statement did not specify whether any sort of financial transaction took place — on the contrary, it said that “discussions are ongoing to formalize these contributions.”

As the author at the above link notes, in any other administration such an outrageous lie would create a firestorm. Instead, with Trump, the world shrugs and moves on to the next insane lie.

TRUMP brags about turning the US military into a mercenary force: “We’re sending more [troops] to Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia is paying us for it … they’re paying us. They’ve already deposited $1 billion in the bank.” pic.twitter.com/8mINgc02h2

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 11, 2020