I-Watchdog Exoshiwe Yayibheke Ekuthengisweni Kwezikhali ZaseSaudi

Ngu-Matthew Lee, May 18, 2020

Kusukela Izindaba ze-ABC

ICongressional Democrats ithi i-watchdog yoMnyango Wezwe ixoshwe nguMongameli Donald Trump ngesonto eledlule bekuphenya ukuthi kungenzeka yini ukungafaneleki ekuthengisweni kwezikhali okukhulu eSaudi Arabia ngonyaka odlule, kwengeza imibuzo emisha ekuxoshweni isigubhukane kwe-watchdog.

IDemocrats ithe ngoMsombuluko ukuthi u-Inspector General Steve Linick oxoshiwe ubephenya ukuthi uMnyango Wezwe wenze kanjani ukudayiswa kwezikhali zaseSaudi ngo-$7 billion ngenxa yokuphikisa ingqungquthela. Phambilini amaDemocrats aphakamise ukuthi ukuxoshwa kungenzeka kuxhumene nophenyo lukaLinick ngezinsolo zokuthi uNobhala Wezwe uMike Pompeo kungenzeka ukuthi uyalele ngokungafanele abasebenzi ukuthi bamenzele imisebenzi.

Ukuxoshwa kukaLinick ngasekupheleni kukaLwesihlanu kuza phakathi kokukhathazeka okubanzi ngokususa kukaTrump abahloli beminyango ehlukene. UTrump uthe uselahlekelwe ukubethemba labo abaxoshiwe kodwa ubengakazibeki izizathu eziqondile, okuyinto abameli bamaqembu womabili abazigxekile.

UPompeo utshele iWashington Post ngoMsombuluko ukuthi uncome uTrump ukuthi uLinick asuswe ngoba “ubukela phansi” umsebenzi woMnyango Wezwe. Akazange akhulume ngemininingwane ngaphandle kokuthi ubengaziphindiseleli nganoma yiluphi uphenyo.

"Akunakwenzeka ukuthi lesi sinqumo, noma isiphakamiso sami, kumongameli kunalokho, sisekelwe kunoma yimuphi umzamo wokuziphindiselela nganoma yiluphi uphenyo oluqhubekayo, noma oluqhubekayo," kusho uPompeo etshela iPost, wengeza ngokuthi wenze njalo. angazi noma ihhovisi likaLinick belibheka ukungafaneleki kwakhe.

Ngaphansi kukaNobhala Wezabaphathi Wezwe uBrian Bulatao utshele iPosi ukuthi ukumethemba uLinick sekuqalile ukwehla ngemuva kokuputshuka kwabezindaba ngonyaka odlule mayelana nophenyo lwe-IG mayelana nokuziphindiselela kwezombusazwe kwabasebenzi abaqashwe yipolitiki. Lapho ukhishwa, lowo mbiko wawugxeka abaqokwe abaningi kwezombusazwe ngokuthatha isinyathelo ngokumelene nezikhulu ezithathwa njengezingathembeki ngokwanele kuTrump.

UTrump ukuqinisekisile ngoMsombuluko ukuthi uxoshe uLinick ngesicelo sikaPompeo.

“Nginelungelo eliphelele lokuhoxa njengomengameli. Ngathi: 'Umiswe ngubani na?' Futhi bathi, 'uMongameli Obama.' Ngithe, bheka, ngizomqeda,” kusho uTrump eWhite House.

U-Rep. Eliot Engel, usihlalo weKomidi lezangaphandle leNdlu, uthe ukhathazekile ngokuthi uLinick uxoshwe ngaphambi kokuphothulwa kophenyo lwaseSaudi. U-Engel wayecele lokho kuphenywa ngemuva kokuthi uPompeo ngoMeyi 2019 ecele inhlinzeko engavamile ukusetshenziswa emthethweni wobumbano ukuze kweqe ukubuyekezwa kwengqungquthela yokuthengiswa kwezikhali eSaudi Arabia nase-United Arab Emirates.

"Ihhovisi lakhe beliphenya - ngokwesicelo sami - isimemezelo esikhohlisayo sikaTrump sesimo esiphuthumayo ukuze akwazi ukuthumela izikhali eSaudi Arabia," kusho u-Engel, DN.Y. “Asikabi naso isithombe esigcwele okwamanje, kodwa kuyakhathaza ukuthi uNobhala uPompeo wayefuna uMnu. Linick akhishwe ngaphambi kokuba lo msebenzi uqedwe.”

Ucele uMnyango Wezwe ukuthi uphendule amarekhodi ahlobene nokuxoshwa kuka-Linick yena kanye ne-Democrat ephezulu eKomidini LeSenate Lezobudlelwano Nangaphandle, uSeni. Bob Menendez waseNew Jersey, ababewafune ngoMgqibelo.

USomlomo weNdlu uNancy Pelosi uthe kuyathusa ukubona imibiko yokuthi ukudubula kungenzeka kube yimpendulo yophenyo lukaLinick mayelana nesivumelwano sezikhali saseSaudi. Encwadini ayibhalela uTrump, ufuna incazelo.

UTrump wazise iCongress ngokuxoshwa, njengoba kudingekile. Kepha uPelosi uthe kubalulekile ukuthi anikeze "izizathu ezinemininingwane futhi ezizwakalayo zokususwa" ngaphambi kokuphela kwesikhathi sokubuyekezwa kwezinsuku ezingama-30.

Khonamanjalo, umfelandawonye kaTrump uSen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, ophokophele ukuvikelwa kwabahloli jikelele, uvuselele ikhwelo lokuthi i-White House ichaze ukuxoshwa kuka-Linick kanye nokuxoshwa kwangaphambilini komlindi womphakathi wezobunhloli uMichael Atkinson.

UGrassley uthe iCongress ihlose ukuthi abahloli jikelele basuswe kuphela uma kunobufakazi obucacile bokungafaneleki, ukwenza okungalungile noma ukwehluleka ukwenza imisebenzi yehhovisi.

"Inkulumo yokuphelelwa ukuzethemba, ngaphandle kwencazelo eyengeziwe, akwanele," kusho uGrassley.

Ngempelasonto, abasizi bekhongolose baphakamise ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi ukuxoshwa kubangelwa uphenyo ngezinsolo zokuthi uPompeo uyalele isisebenzi ukuthi sicoshele ukudla, siqoqele yena nomkakhe izinto zokuhlanza, futhi sinakekele inja yabo.

UTrump uthe akanandaba nalezi zinsolo futhi akalwazi uphenyo olwenziwa nguLinick ngoPompeo.

“Bahlukunyezwa ngoba kukhona ohambisa inja yakhe?” Kusho uTrump. Ngincamela ukuba naye ocingweni nomholi othile womhlaba kunokuthi ageze izitsha.”

Umongameli ukuvikele ukuthengiswa kwezikhali zaseSaudi, wathi kufanele kube “lula ngangokunokwenzeka” kwamanye amazwe ukuthi athenge izikhali zase-US ukuze bangazitholi eChina, eRussia nakwamanye amazwe.

"Kufanele sithathe imisebenzi sithathe imali, ngoba iyizigidigidi zamadola," kusho uTrump.

Yize kuyinkinga, izinsolo ezinjalo mancane amathuba okuthi ziphumele kunoma yiluphi uhlobo lwemiphumela enzima ngokumelene noPompeo uma kuqinisekiswa ukuthi zilungile. Ukutholwa kokungafaneleki ekuthengisweni kwezikhali zaseSaudi kungaba kubi kakhulu.

U-Engel kanye namanye amaDemocratic Congress bashaqekile lapho uPompeo etshela iCongress ngesinqumo sokusebenzisa imbobo ephuthumayo kuMthetho Wokulawula Ukuthunyelwa Kwezikhali ukuze kuqhutshekwe nokuthengiswa kwezigidigidi eziyisi-7 zamaRandi ezikhali eziqondiswe ngokunemba, amanye amabhomu nezinhlamvu kanye nokusekelwa kokugcinwa kwezindiza eSaudi Arabia, kanye ne-United Arab Emirates kanye neJordani, ngaphandle kwemvume yabenzi bomthetho.

Umthetho udinga ukuthi iCongress yaziswe ngokudayiswa kwezikhali okungase kube khona, okunikeze umzimba ithuba lokuvimba ukuthengiswa. Kodwa umthetho uphinde uvumele umongameli ukuthi ayeke leyo nqubo yokubuyekeza ngokumemezela isimo esiphuthumayo esidinga ukuthi ukuthengiswa kwenziwe “ngokwezintshisakalo zokuphepha kazwelonke zase-United States.”

Esazisweni sakhe, uPompeo uthe wenze isinqumo sokuthi "kunesimo esiphuthumayo esidinga ukuthengiswa ngokushesha" kwezikhali "ukuze kunqandwe ithonya elibi likahulumeni wase-Iran kuso sonke isifunda saseMiddle East."

Kweza njengoba abaphathi beba nobudlelwano obuseduze neSaudi Arabia mayelana nokuphikisa kwengqungquthela, ikakhulukazi kulandela ukubulawa kukaJamal Khashoggi, umlobi wephephandaba wase-US weWashington Post, ngamanxusa aseSaudi ngo-Okthoba 2018.