John Kirby
© Reuters TV / Reuters
The US spokesman refuses to call the murder of the Russian diplomat what it is

Since the cold blooded murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, you'd think the United States would at least have the decency to condemn it as a clear act of terrorism. But it seems from this report in the Washington Examiner that that's wishful thinking:
"We certainly couldn't rule out terrorism as a motive or behind this, wouldn't rule that out at all at this early stage, but I think it's really important that rather than jumping to conclusions — particularly those of us who aren't there and weren't involved — that we ought to let investigators do their jobs," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.

Russia immediately called the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey an act of terrorism. The shooter shouted about Russia's involvement in helping Syrian dictator Bashar Assad's bloody recapturing of Aleppo, which was previously held by U.S.-backed rebels and jihadists.

"Today in Ankara as a result of an attack, the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Turkey, Andrey Gennadyevich Karlov, received a wound from which he died," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. "We regard this as a terrorist act."
I guess when the United States is actively giving support, moral and material to al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and Islamic State, and when the the assassin clearly invoked his allegiance to the terrorists in Aleppo (whom Russia has just handed a massive defeat), then it's hard for them to publicly oppose their allies.

We'll give Kirby props for consistency for a change.