The State Department sent a series of questions to Aljabri’s legal team this month to help “ senior officials ” there decide whether to advise the Justice Department to grant the Crown Prince immunity, according to the questionnaire, which is being reviewed by CNN. was provided. from a source close to Aljabri.
It is common for the US to grant sovereign immunity to incumbent heads of state and even foreign government officials, a move often justified as necessary under international law. However, the immunity is lifted from time to time, especially if US policy is to put pressure on a foreign government.
In 2003, the US dismissed a lawsuit in US federal court against then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who was taken to court on charges of torture and genocide on the grounds that a head of state is immune from prosecution.
It is also common practice for the State Department to consult with key players and outside agencies before making a recommendation to the Justice Department on whether to grant immunity, legal experts said.
A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment. A State Department spokesman said they do not comment on any ongoing disputes. The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. The National Security Council, which deals with foreign policy issues and issues related to foreign leaders, did not respond to requests for comment.
In the lawsuit, which was filed in August in the DC District Court, Aljabri bin Salman, the powerful de facto ruler of the kingdom, accused of sending a hit team to assassinate him just over a year after Aljabri fled from Saudi Arabia.
In a royal court where proximity to the US is paramount, bin Salman’s main rival to the crown was his elder cousin Mohammed bin Nayef, known as MBN. For a long time, Aljabri was the number two of MBN and nurtured a close relationship with US intelligence officials while working together in the fight against terrorism. The working relationship between the US and Aljabri helped save countless lives, former US officials say.
According to the complaint, Aljabri had refused repeated attempts by the Crown Prince to lure him back to Saudi Arabia or to a place more accessible to the Saudis. Aljabri claims that in response the Crown Prince escalated his threats, saying the Saudis would use “whatever means available” to bring him back, threatening to “take measures that would harm you.” Aljabri also names numerous alleged co-conspirators, including two of the men accused of being behind the Khashoggi operation.
Aljabri has filed suit in US federal court for alleging misconduct in the US, an Aljabri spokesman told CNN earlier this year.
‘Very strong’
The questions sent to Aljabri’s legal team by the State Department, first reported by The Washington Post, included details of his allegations of the Crown Prince’s involvement in the alleged plot to kill him.
For example, they ask Aljabri’s lawyers to “describe in as much detail as possible any actions in the Indictment that you attribute directly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.”
They also ask Aljabri’s lawyers if they have a “theory that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is not immune and is based on something other than the nature of the acts accused against him”.
According to Woodward, Trump also doubled down on the protection of MBS during the Khashoggi controversy, saying, “I saved him.” Trump added, “I could get Congress to leave him alone. I could get them to stop,” the book said.