Joe Biden declined to criticize his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, telling reporters that he considered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi “the most important thing” of their meeting.
But Biden was criticized for an image before the meeting in Jeddah in which he punched the crown prince.
Fred Ryan, editor and CEO of the Post, called success “worse than a handshake” and “embarrassing”.
“It mirrored a level of coziness and comfort that gave MBS the unsolicited redemption it was so desperately seeking,” Ryan said.
Speaking to reporters, Biden was asked about his reaction to Khashoggi’s meeting with Biden, where he said “the blood of the next MBS victim is on Biden’s hands.” His tweet noted that Biden had pledged responsibility for Khashoggi’s murder when he was running for president.
“I’m sorry you think so,” Biden said. “So I went straight. I went straight today. “
Biden said that when he brought up Khashoggi’s murder, MBS “basically said he wasn’t personally responsible for it. I pointed out at that moment that she was. According to him, he is not personally responsible for this and has turned to the responsible people. I then proceeded to talk more about … any objections to criticism of the Saudi administration in other countries. According to him, he considers this a violation of human rights.
Biden laughed when a reporter asked him about the first image, drawing criticism even from fellow Democrats. Rep Adam Schiff (D-CA) tweeted: “If we ever needed a visual reminder of the oil-rich autocrats’ continued control over US foreign policy in the Middle East, we have it today. A fist is worth a thousand words. “.
“How can you be sure that another incident doesn’t happen again, another murder like Jamal Khashoggi?” the reporter asked.
Biden replied: “God loves you. What a stupid question. How can I be sure? I just made it clear. If something like this happens again, they will get a response and more. “
Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, was assassinated in October 2018 after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey and then disappearing. A month after his death, the Post reported that the CIA concluded that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia ordered Khashoggi’s assassination.
Source: Deadline
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