President Joe Biden claimed Friday he directly condemned the Saudi prince over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while Saudi officials denied that Biden ever made the accusation.
In a meeting with reporters Friday, Biden said he told Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi crown prince, that he was “probably” responsible for the murder of Khashoggi.
“With respect to the murder of Khashoggi, I raised it at the top of the meeting, making it clear of what I thought about it at the time, and what I think of it now. I was straight forward and direct in discussing it. I made my view crystal clear,” Biden said following his diplomatic meetings in Saudi Arabia.
Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs who was present in the meeting with the crown prince, opposed Biden’s claim in a statement to reporters.
“He mentioned the issue of Jamal Khashoggi, and he said this is an issue that has generated a lot of interest and concern in the U.S. . . . and that he understood, he knew what Saudi Arabia’s position was,”Adel al-Jubeir said.
He “didn’t hear” Biden condemn MBS for the killing of Khashoggi, the Saudi official added.
The White House defended Biden’s claim Saturday, with NSC spokesman John Kirby saying, “The president was very clear about the conversation, and we stand by his account.”
The Saudi prince responded negatively to Biden mentioning Khashoggi, saying the U.S. has also made a number of “mistakes,” according to a Saudi official speaking to Reuters.
MBS brought up “the incident of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq,” the detention center that was a site of torture and abuse, and the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during an Israeli raid.
Biden’s visit with Saudi Arabia was marred with scrutiny, as he pledged to make the country a “pariah” following the murder of Khashoggi, but fist-bumped MBS before the meeting.
Following the meeting, Biden said he “expects” Saudi Arabia to increase its oil supply amid record-breaking gas prices in the U.S.
“I’m doing all I can to increase the supply for the United States of America, which I expect to happen,” Biden told reporters. “The Saudis share that urgency. And based on our discussions today, I expect we’ll see further steps in the coming weeks.”