Dana Bash Grills Psaki Over Biden Inaction Against MBS: ‘You Say Hold Them Accountable and It Just Doesn’t Look Like That’
CNN’s Dana Bash grilled White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki about why the Biden administration isn’t taking direct action against Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
As Bash interviewed Psaki on Sunday for State of the Union, she turned to the newly-released U.S. intel report which determined that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s killing in 2018. Bash noted that President Joe Biden promised to hold Saudi Arabia accountable while running for office, so she asked Psaki why he isn’t taking action against the crown prince directly.
Psaki responded by defending the Biden administration’s approach to human rights abuses, and she claimed that the report’s release was part of that endeavor after it was “held back over the last four years.” Bash continued the interview by noting that the U.S. is currently sanctioning others in connection with Khashoggi’s murder, but not MBS himself.
“Isn’t punishing them like punishing the hitman and not the mob boss who actually put out the hit?” She asked.
Psaki responded by speaking of “more effective ways” for reprimanding the misconduct of foreign leaders while pursuing the U.S.’s diplomatic interests. Bash countered that “you say ‘hold them accountable’ and it just doesn’t look like that when it comes to the notion of justice.”
The question is do you feel like justice has really been done when it comes specifically to the crown prince and his role in the brutal murder of a journalist, because the journalist was working on stories that were challenging him?
Psaki continued to defend the Biden administration’s handling of Saudi Arabia with regards to the Khashoggi murder, but Bash concluded by once again noting the lack of direct consequences for the crown prince. Bash said this carries further connotations and questions about what Biden means when he claims America is “back” as a world leader.
Watch above, via CNN.
