WaPo Board: Has Jared Kusner’s Phone Been Checked?

From the editorial board of the Washington Post:

If Mohammed bin Salman did target Mr. Bezos for surveillance, it would not be an isolated case. As U.N. investigators Agnes Callamard and David Kaye said in their statement, “the allegations reinforce other reporting pointing to a pattern of targeted surveillance of perceived opponents and those of broader strategic importance to the Saudi authorities, including nationals and non-nationals.” Any investigation, they said, ought to encompass “the continuous, multi-year, direct and personal involvement of the Crown Prince in efforts to target perceived opponents.”

Mr. Bezos, of course, is not only the owner of The Post but also the founder of Amazon, one of the world’s largest tech companies. Executives of other firms that, like Amazon, have thought about investing in Saudi Arabia ought to be wondering whether they will become targets of hacking attacks ordered by the crown prince.

And what of Jared Kushner, son-in-law and aide to President Trump, who is known to have exchanged text messages with Mohammed bin Salman? Has his phone been checked? If the Trump administration takes its own security and that of U.S. businesses seriously, it will follow the U.N. advice and thoroughly investigate the alleged Saudi hacks.