Today's Headlines and Commentary

Turkish intelligence officials have audio recordings chronicling the brutal murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, says the New York Times. As the Turkish media is closely controlled by the government, leaks about Khashoggi’s death may point to an escalation of pressure on the Saudi government by Istanbul.

Over the summer, Saudi Arabia promised to transfer $100 million to the U.S. to help stabilize Syrian territory liberated from Islamic State, reports the Times. That money arrived in American accounts on Tuesday as Mike Pompeo landed in Riyadh to discuss the disappearance of Khashoggi.

A senior advisor at the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has been arrested and charged with unlawfully disclosing Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to reporters who published 12 articles using the SARs data, according to the Department of Justice.

South Korea denied refugee status to hundred of Yemenis fleeing their country’s civil war as the large influx of immigrants on the tourist island of Jeju triggered anti-immigrant sentiment in South Korea, reports the Washington Post. Of the more than 500 Yemenis who arrived on the island earlier this year, 339 of them were reportedly granted one-year humanitarian permits to remain.

Afghanistan’s elections are facing violent opposition from the Taliban—as of Wednesday, ten candidates for parliament have been killed. The Taliban has also warned Afghans not to use schools and universities as polling centers, reports the Post.

The Israeli military struck 20 targets in Gaza on Wednesday in retaliation for a rocket fired into the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, escalating tensions on the Israel-Gaza border, reports the Times.

Nine of fifteen suspects that Turkey named in the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi have close ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, says the Times. This close relationship undermines Saudi claims that Mr. Khashoggi died in a rogue operation unknown to the crown prince.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Peter Margulies gave a detailed analysis of oral arguments in Sessions v. Preap, a case on the legality of mandatory immigrant detention.

Bob Bauer explored the consequences of enshrining norms in the law on presidents and on the legal structure.

Eliot Kim provided a summary of the Justice Department’s new policy on “Disclosure of Foreign Influence Operations” as part of an update to the U.S. Attorneys’ Manual, now called the Justice Manual.

Stewart Baker posted this week’s episode of the Cyberlaw Podcast—an interview with Doug, a pseudonym used by the chief legal officer of GCHQ, the British equivalent of NSA.

J. Dana Stuster posted the newest edition of the Middle East Ticker, covering the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as well as rebel groups’ refusal to withdraw from Idlib.

Mikhaila Fogel uploaded the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board’s recently declassified report on U.S. signals intelligence policy.

Robert Chesney and Steve Vladeck posted this week’s episode of the National Security Law Podcast, which focuses on two stories this week: happenings at the military commissions, and Aram Roston’s explosive Buzzfeed report on American mercenaries in the Middle East.

Jen Patja Howell posted the newest edition of the Lawfare Podcast, which centers around Benjamin Wittes and Norm Eisen’s ‘The State of Rule of Law in the U.S.’ panel.

In June, former Senate intelligence committee security director James Wolfe was indicted on three counts of making false statements to federal investigators, and Matt Kahn uploaded Wolfe’s statement of offense and plea agreement on one of these counts.

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