The government of Saudi Arabia has admitted what everybody knows: Emissaries from Riyadh murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The kingdom predictably blamed the murder on rogue operators who will now be held accountable—i.e. scapegoated. “We are determined to punish those who are responsible for this murder,” foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News’s Brett Baier on Sunday. “The individuals who did this, did this outside the scope of their authority. There obviously was a tremendous mistake made, and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover up. . . . Even the senior leadership over intelligence service was not aware of this.”

The Saudis issued a statement saying the tragedy was a result of “discussions” between Khashoggi and “persons with whom he met” that “led to quarrels and an altercation, which tragically resulted in his death.” This seems to be the diplomatic way of saying Khashoggi was set upon by thugs, murdered, dismembered, and disposed of.