President Biden accused Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister of lying when he contradicted the president’s claim that he raised the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and answered a question about the fistfight with the king.
Biden, who returned to the White House early Sunday after a four-day trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, was asked if Adel al-Jubiere was telling the truth when he said he had not heard that the president had met Khashoggi with the prince. commonly referred to as MBS.
“No,” Biden answered bluntly The White House pool report.
The president, moments after arriving on Marine One, was asked if he regretted the controversial incident. punch with MBS.
“Why don’t you talk about something important? I am happy to answer an important question,” he replied.
Biden told reporters on Friday that he questioned the crown prince about the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The US intelligence community A well-known critic of the Saudi royal family concluded that Salman ordered the operation to kill Khashoggi.
“Regarding Khashoggi’s murder,” Biden told reporters in Jeddah. “I brought it up at the top of the meeting where I explained what I thought about it then and what I think now.”
However, the president said that MBS was not personally responsible for the murder.
“I said I thought it was him. He said that he is not personally responsible for this and that he is taking action against those who are responsible,” the president added.
But the next day al-Jubier said Fox News He said he did not hear Biden talk to MBS about Khashoggi.
“I have not heard that particular expression,” said al-Jubeir.
“The resident of P noted that the United States is committed to human rights because the founding fathers wrote the institution of C, and he also noted that American presidents – this is part of the agenda of every American president,” the Saudi minister said. .
