U.S. President Joe Biden said he brought up the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in his meeting Friday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, rejecting the idea that he was ignoring the kingdom’s human rights abuses as he tries to reset a critical diplomatic relationship.
“I said, very straightforwardly, for an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am,” Biden said. “I’ll always stand up for our values.”
U.S. intelligence believes that the crown prince likely approved the killing of Khashoggi, a U.S.-based writer, four years ago. Biden said Prince Mohammed claimed that he was “not personally responsible” for the death. “I indicated I thought he was,” the president said in reply.
Answering a reporter’s question about Khashoggi’s death and the criticism he faced for sharing a fist bump with the crown prince upon their meeting earlier that day, Biden said “God love you. What a silly question. How could I possibly be sure of any of that? I just made it clear if anything occurs like that again they’ll get that response and much more.”
It was the first meeting between the two leaders and their relationship could reshape security partnerships in the Middle East and the flow of oil worldwide.
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