White House backs immunity for Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi lawsuit
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There are 1,067 news articles covering this topic.
73% (783) are left-leaning, 18% (189) are centrist, and 9% (95) are right-leaning.
On Friday, the White House backed immunity for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman, protecting him from civil lawsuits filed for the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi—known for being critical of Mohammed. Left-leaning articles highlight that the Biden administration wants to portray the determination as an issue of foreign policy rather than a stance on Mohammed’s culpability. Right-leaning articles highlight that journalists blast Biden’s “deeply embarrassing” track record with Saudi Arabia and criticize his decision to “grant” immunity to Mohammed.
USA Today published a centrist article reporting on the Biden administration backing immunity to the Saudi crown prince in a civil suit about his involvement in the murder of a U.S.-based journalist. Biden has previously been criticized for his relationship with Mohammed and is under further fire for backing his immunity. The administration released statements saying Mohammed’s high office shields him from any U.S.-based civil suits, adding that their stance does not reflect the U.S. and Saudi Arabia’s relationship. Critics suggested that Biden is “failing to uphold America’s most cherished values” and that he is “granting a license to kill to one of the world’s most egregious human rights abusers.”
A left-leaning article by The Washington Post reported that the White House declared Mohammed has immunity in the suit against him for Khashoggi’s murder. It highlighted that the Biden administration sought to characterize the determination as an issue of foreign policy—as the sitting head of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed is immune from civil lawsuits in U.S. courts—rather than a stance on Mohammed’s culpability in the case. The public statement drew the ire of Democrats who criticized Biden for seemingly taking the side that the U.S.’s own intelligence agency determined was responsible for the murder.
A right-leaning article by Fox News highlighted that MSNBC journalists have sharply criticized Biden’s determination in the civil suit against Mohammed for the 2018 murder of Khashoggi. David Ignatius, a contributor at The Post, said in an interview that Mohammed’s appointment as Saudi Arabia’s prime minister came just days before the deadline for Biden to make a determination on his immunity. Ignatius also blasted the president’s hesitance to confront Mohammed, and the journalists described the president’s dealings as “deeply embarrassing” and “humiliating.” Fox News reported that Ignatius said that even former President Donald Trump, who had friendlier relations with Mohammed, had not “granted the Saudi leader immunity.
From the center
US-Saudi relations: White House backs immunity for Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi lawsuit
USA Today