The Biden government released the intelligence report on the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi which concludes that “Saudi Arabian prince Mohammed bin Salman has approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi”. However, the United States will not impose sanctions on the Crown Prince.
“We based this assessment on the Crown Prince’s control of Kingdom decision-making, on the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protection team in the operation and on the Crown Prince’s support for the use of violent measures to silence dissidents in the abroad, including Khashoggi, “says the report.
The report states that members of the team responsible for Khashoggi’s murder included officials who worked for an adviser close to the Crown Prince, who is often referred to as MBS, as well as seven members of the Prince’s elite personal protection team.
“Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control over the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that the Saudi authorities have carried out such an operation without the Crown Prince’s authorization,” says the report.
At a news conference on Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC that the report speaks for itself because the United States is not directly punishing the MBS.
The report cites several individuals who probably played a role in Khashoggi’s murder, although he concedes that “we do not know whether these individuals knew in advance that the operation would result in Khashoggi’s death”.
CBS News reported in 2018 that the CIA had assessed that MBS had ordered Khashoggi’s death. The Crown Prince has denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s murder. The 59-year-old columnist for the Washington Post, who used to criticize the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was killed after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
The new government appears to be focused on preserving America’s strategic relationship with the Kingdom, as the MBS is likely to be king one day.
The State Department announced a new political orientation on Friday, which the secretary of state called “Khashoggi’s ban”. It is a new visa restriction policy that allows the State Department to impose visa restrictions on people who, acting on behalf of a foreign government, “are believed to have been directly involved in serious extraterritorial anti-dissident activities, including those that repress, harass, to watch, threaten or harm journalists, activists or other people who are said to be dissidents for their work, or who engage in such activities in relation to families or other close associates of such people, “Blinken said on Friday.
The Treasury Department announced that it is imposing sanctions on the Saudi Rapid Intervention Force and a former Saudi intelligence officer for his roles in Khashoggi’s death.
However, neither the “Khashoggi ban” nor the sanctions will directly affect the MBS.
President Biden spoke to Saudi King Salman on Thursday before the report was released. MBS is the secretary of defense, but it is widely expected to rise to power after Salman’s death.
The White House is considering issuing written executive orders with the intention of protecting journalists, although these protections are not specifically directed at Saudi Arabia. Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy and Amy Klobuchar also introduced a bill to ensure that governments that commit human rights abuses against journalists are held accountable through measures such as specific sanctions and aid restrictions.
Former President Trump refused to admonish Saudi Arabia or MBS for the murder of a U.S. resident.
Several lawmakers have asked Biden to respond to Khashoggi’s death, possibly through sanctions.
“It was an absolute atrocity and that US ally thought they could do it reasonably and get away with it, and the previous government wouldn’t mind, it was shocking,” Senator Tim Kaine told reporters on Thursday. The Virginia Democrat also noted that Khashoggi resided in his state.
Republican Senator John Cornyn told reporters that Biden needed to express to King Salman that Khashoggi’s death “was not acceptable”.
“I think we should make it clear that we understand what happened,” said Cornyn. “And that is not acceptable, in the United States or other civilized nations, to go in and basically murder and dismember your political opponents or members of the press.”