Joe Biden, the US president, has accused the Saudi secretary of state of misleading the public after claiming that the president failed to tell the crown prince that he held him responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
An already controversial meeting threatened to turn into a diplomatic spat when, on his arrival in the US, Mr. Biden flatly contradicted a description of the meeting by Saudi foreign minister Adel al Jubeir.
Would Mr Biden do that? confront Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman The murder of the Washington Post dissident and journalist was a point of great controversy when the president’s first Middle East tour was announced.
He was widely criticized for putting oil above blood, especially for vowing to turn Saudi Arabia into a “pariah” state during his presidential campaign over the brutal murder.
The CIA believes the reformist young crown prince sent the assassination squad that kidnapped Khashoggi at the Istanbul consulate and brutally dismembered his body. Mohammed bin Salman has always flatly denied this.
On Friday, Mr Biden had insisted he discussed Mr Khashoggi’s death in a private meeting with the Crown Prince.
“With regard to Khashoggi’s murder, I brought it up at the top of the meeting to clarify what I thought at the time and what I think of it now.
“I was straightforward and direct… I made my vision crystal clear. What happened to Khashoggi was outrageous.”