Facing Friday’s declassified intelligence report reaffirming the crown prince’s clear approval of the killing of Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, the Biden administration would not authorize Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Instead, the US placed travel limits on hundreds of other Saudi officials. Biden is scheduled to speak publicly about US-Saudi ties today, but the White House has said that no new policies will be revealed. This is Antony Blinken, Secretary of State.
According to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, the United States can directly approve bin Salman and “take the lead in ensuring accountability.” Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancée, has even called on the crown prince to be “punished without hesitation.” Meanwhile, CNN notes that three men’s names were excluded from the Khashoggi article soon after it was released.
