CNN Source Says MBS ‘Hit Back’ at Biden Over Khashoggi By What-Abouting Abu Ghraib

CNN reported on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman‘s (MBS) side of the confrontation with President Joe Biden over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

President Biden took questions from reporters Friday after he described what happened during his meeting with MBS and other leaders after reporters were led away. The president told reporters that he raised the issue of Khashoggi, whose murder is believed to have been ordered by MBS, and said he stood by his views on the subject. He also said that MBS denied responsibility.

In a report authored by Phil Mattingly, Allie Malloy, Tamara Qiblawi, and Celine Alkhaldi entitled “MBS hits back at Biden after the President confronts Saudi prince about Khashoggi,” a “source familiar with the matter” described the “hitting back”:

Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hit back at Joe Biden after the US President confronted him about the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a meeting between the two leaders on Friday, according to a source familiar with the matter.

In the meeting, Bin Salman, also known as MBS, denied responsibility for the killing of Khashoggi at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate. Biden said he indicated that he disagreed with MBS, based on US intelligence assessments, according to the source.

In response to Biden bringing up Khashoggi, MBS cited the sexual and physical abuse of prisoners at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison by US military personnel and the May killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank as incidents that reflected poorly on the US, the source said.

The reporting generally conforms to the line put forward by Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir in an interview with Wolf Blitzer following the meeting. His account and CNN’s report differ significantly from the account that President Biden gave.

Watch above via CNN.