The Biden administration has released the intelligence report on the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi which concludes that “Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia approved an operation in Istanbul (Turkey) to capture or to kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. ” However, the US will not impose sanctions on the Crown Prince.
“We base this assessment on the Crown Prince’s control over decision-making in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser, and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail in the Crown Prince’s operation and support to use of violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi, ”the report says.
The report indicates that members of the team responsible for Khashoggi’s assassination include officials who worked for a close adviser to the Crown Prince, often called MBS, as well as seven members of the Khashoggi’s personal protection elite. the prince’s elite.
“Since 2017, the Crown Prince has absolute control over the security and intelligence organizations of the Kingdom, so it is highly unlikely that Saudi officials have carried out an operation of this nature without the permission of the Prince. heir, ”the report says.
At a news conference Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC that the report speaks for itself as to why the U.S. does not directly punish MBS.
The report names several people who probably played a role in Khashoggi’s assassination, though he admits that “we don’t know if those people knew in advance that the operation would result in Khashoggi’s death.”
CBS News reported in 2018 that the CIA had assessed that MBS had ordered Khashoggi’s death. The Crown Prince has denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s assassination. The 59-year-old Washington Post columnist, who often criticized the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was assassinated after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
The new administration seems to be focused on preserving the U.S.’s strategic relationship with the Kingdom, as MBS will probably one day be king.
The State Department on Friday announced a new political direction that the Secretary of State called the “Khashoggi ban.” This is a new visa restriction policy that allows the State Department to impose visa restrictions on people who, “acting on behalf of a foreign government,” are believed to have been directly involved in serious counter-dissident activities. and extraterritorials, including those who suppress, harass, supervise, threaten or harm journalists, activists or other persons who are considered dissidents for their work, or who engage in such activities with respect to the families or other close associates of such persons. ” Blinken said Friday.
The Treasury Department announced that it is imposing sanctions on the Saudi Rapid Intervention Force and a former Saudi intelligence official for his roles in Khashoggi’s death.
However, neither the “Khashoggi ban” nor the sanctions will directly affect MBS.
President Biden spoke with Saudi King Salman on Thursday, before the report was published. MBS is the defense secretary, but is expected to rise to power after Salman’s death.
The White House is considering issuing written executive orders with the intent to protect journalists, although such protections would not be specifically targeted at Saudi Arabia. Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy and Amy Klobuchar have also introduced a bill to ensure that governments that commit human rights abuses against journalists are held accountable through measures such as specific sanctions and restricted aid.
Former President Trump has refused to reprimand Saudi Arabia or the MBS for the murder of a US resident.
Several lawmakers have called on Mr Biden to respond to Khashoggi’s death, possibly through sanctions.
“It was an absolute atrocity and for the American ally to believe that they could do it reasonably and get away with it, and that the past administration would not care, was shocking,” he told senators on Thursday. Senator Tim Kaine. The Virginia Democrat also noted that Khashoggi was a resident of his state.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn told reporters that Biden needed to express to King Salman that Khashoggi’s death “was not acceptable.”
“I think we should make it clear that we understand what happened,” Cornyn said. “And that’s not acceptable, in the United States or other civilized nations, to go in and assassinate and basically dismantle your political opponents or members of the press.”