The White House is defending it’s dealing with Saudi Arabia following a U.S. intelligence report implicating Saudi Arabia’s crown prince in the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Watch the briefing in the player above.
The newly declassified report released Friday revealed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likely approved the killing Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
The finding was expected to ratchet up pressure on the Biden administration to hold the kingdom accountable for a murder that drew worldwide outrage. But President Joe Biden has been reluctant to take any specific action against the crown prince himself.
In the White House briefing Monday, spokesman Jen Psaki called the crime “horrific,” and said the administration “took a series of strong steps to impose on individuals directly involved in the operation.”
Psaki said the White House “reserves the right to take any action at a time and manner of our choosing,” but noted that historically, the U.S. has not sanctioned leaders of countries with which it has diplomatic relations.
The press secretary also defended the administration’s dealing with Myanmar, saying it is “preparing the additional actions to impose further actions on those responsible for this latest outbreak of violence and the recent coup.”
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