How Bandar operates

Prince Bandar, the Saudi royal whom the BBC is alleging received huge sums from BAE during an arms deal, was a phenomenal Washington operator when he was Saudi ambassador there. Part of his success was that he was never afraid to be generous as this anecdote illustrates:

“A few nights after he resigned his post as secretary of state two years ago, Colin Powell answered a ring at his front door. Standing outside was Bandar, then Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, with a 1995 Jaguar. Powell’s wife, Alma, once had mentioned that she missed the 1995 Jaguar that she and her husband had traded in a while back. Bandar had filed that information away, and presented the Powells that night an identical, 10-year-old model.”