President Joe Biden affirmed his view on the culpability of Saudi Arabia in the gruesome murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
RELATED: Washington memorial service for slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi https://bit.ly/3z7houl
But Biden hedged when asked if he will discuss the killing when he meets Friday with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who U.S. officials believe ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Without directly responding, Biden said his views on the killing are “absolutely clear” and he has “never been quiet” on human rights.
“I will bring up – I always bring up human rights,” Biden said during a news conference in Israel. “But my position on Khashoggi has been so clear, if anyone doesn’t understand it, in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else, then they haven’t been around for a while.”
Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who had been critical of the Saudi government, was killed and dismembered inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018. Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to get documents he needed for his upcoming wedding. The crown prince has denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s murder.
» Subscribe to USA TODAY: http://bit.ly/1xa3XAh
» Watch more on this and other topics from USA TODAY: https://bit.ly/3q3ON4B
» USA TODAY delivers current local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more through award-winning journalism, photos, videos and VR.
#Biden #SaudiArabia #MiddleEast
