How Would Hyman Roth Have Handled The Khashoggi Murder?

From Godfather II:

 

Hyman Roth: … Just one small step, looking for a man who wants to be President of the United States, and having the cash to make it possible. Michael, we're bigger than U.S. Steel. … What I am saying is, we have now what we have always needed, real partnership with the government.

If you simply think of the Trump Crime Family Administration as the Hyman Roth Administration, you're pretty close to the truth.  “Public interest” and “public service” – that's for suckers.  Imagine the cynical smirk, the sideways look, the knowing “are you serious?” rejoinder. It could be Coppola with the corruption and cynicism, it could be Tarantino with the torture and dismemberment, but what it surely isn't, is Billy Wilder.

 

Bred to lie, lying as a default response, lying without conscience, lying in the open, conspiring in the open, defaming in the open, understanding money as the only standard -- Capone would be envious.  Capone would have been better.  He had better taste.  At least he made his money honestly if illegally, and he had no Daddy to bail him out.  Just imagine the training sessions he held for Ivanka, Junior the idiot, and Eric.  They are probably too stupid to learn what "kakiocracy" means.

If it had been Roth who heard what MBS had done, he would have been understanding and understated.  "You know, I told him to be moderate.  We have the world, the whole world to exploit.  There is no credible opposition.  Go slow and steady, and we'll have everything we want.  But no, it was too much to ask.  Young men who have it handed to them have not been tempered.  Their minds break, they lose touch.  Cut the man up?  It's disgusting, and totally unnecessary.

"We'll have to handle it.  Condemn the world of violence, make a show of some sanctions, tell him privately he's have to serve some time in disrepute and we can't be openly supportive.  It'll probably be a year, or maybe two.  Let him know we're upset, but that eventually, if he learns, it won't be fatal.

"Give it to Rocco."

But of course, Roth had worked his way up himself; he had been tempered.  Trump?  Not so much.  And you can't run the United States as a crime family.  At this level, everyone will be going to jail.  I just want to see Ivanka and Jared in orange.  Stephen Miller, the whole cast.  Stylish.

Budd Shenkin