President Biden accused Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister of lying when he contradicted the president’s claim that he had raised the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and went bankrupt when he asked about the punch with the royal.
Returning to the White House on Sunday morning after his four-day trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, Biden was asked if Adel al-Jubier was telling the truth when he said he did not hear the president talking about Khashoggi with the prince. , commonly known as MBS.
“No,” Biden replied bluntly, according to a report from the White House pool.
The president, moments after arriving at Marine One, was also asked if he regretted the controversial punch with MBS.
“Why don’t you talk about something that matters? I’m happy to answer a question that matters,” he replied.
President Biden reacted against Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubier, alleging that he did not address the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Saudi News Agency / Brochure through REUTERS. murder.AP Photo / Hasan Jamali, File Biden insists his first coup with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is irrelevant. Bandar Algaloud / Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court / Handout via REUTERS
Biden told reporters on Friday that he had questioned the Crown Prince about the 2018 assassination of Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The American intelligence community has concluded that Salman ordered the operation to kill Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi royal family.
“Regarding the assassination of Khashoggi,” Biden told reporters in the city of Jeddah. “I raised it at the top of the meeting, making it clear what I thought about it at the time and what I think about it now.”
The president claims that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has admitted that he is “not personally responsible” for the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bandar Algaloud / Courtesy of the Saudi Royal Court / Brochure via REUTERS Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said President Joe Biden mentions the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. REUTERS / Mohammed Salem
But the president said MBS denied any personal responsibility for the murder.
“I indicated that I thought it was. He said he was not personally responsible for it and took action against those responsible,” the president added.
But the next day, al-Jubier told Fox News that he had not heard Biden confront MBS about Khashoggi.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Biden pose for a family photo ahead of the Jeddah Security and Development Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 16, 2022. Bandar Algaloud / Courtesy of the Saudi Royal Court / Brochure via REUTERS
“I didn’t hear that particular phrase,” al-Jubeir said.
“The president mentioned that the United States is committed to human rights because since the founding fathers wrote the Constitution and also noted that American presidents, this is part of every American president’s agenda.” said the president. The Saudi minister told the press …