President Biden
Joe BidenHoyer: House to vote on COVID-19 aid bill Friday Pence crowds with senior Republican Study Committee members Powell pushes back GOP inflation fears MORE said on Wednesday that it had read the report on the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“Yes, I have,” Biden told reporters in the state living room after signing an executive order on the economy, without elaborating.
The Biden administration is expected to release an unclassified version of the Khashoggi death report soon. Biden also said he would talk to Saudi King Salman, but did not provide a timeline or confirm reports that the call would take place on Wednesday.
“I’ll talk to him, I haven’t talked to him yet,” Biden said.
The publication of the report could complicate the US relationship with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to approve the 2018 assassination of Khashoggi, a journalist for The Washington Post.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) will publish the report, which Reuters reported will take place on Thursday.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiHillicon Valley: Companies Demand Action at Hearing SolarWinds | Facebook lifts Australian news ban | Biden to take action against Russia in overnight medical weeks: COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers promise massive supply increase | Biden health candidate faces first Senate test White House defends reopening of facility for migrant children Ocasio-Cortez criticizes opening of facility for migrant children under Biden MORE told reporters earlier Wednesday that Biden would speak to King Salman “soon,” but did not provide a specific timeline.
Director of National Information April Haines
April Haines: Senate Confirms Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture, Schumer Sets Confirmation Flash in Senate Overnight Defense: NATO Expands Troops in Iraq committed during the confirmation hearing to launch the report on Khashoggi’s murder. Congress was briefed on the classified version of the report in 2018, but the Trump administration resisted calls to release an unclassified version, even after Congress passed legislation requiring the intelligence community to launch an unclassified version of the report.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the declassified report concluded that the Crown Prince had approved and probably ordered Khashoggi’s assassination. The station reported in 2018 that the CIA had concluded that the Crown Prince had ordered Khashoggi’s assassination. Khashoggi had criticized the Saudi government in its columns.
Biden is expected to deviate from the friendship he has been President Trump
Donald TrumpRomney: “Pretty sure” that Trump will win GOP nomination in 2024 if he ran for president Pence will meet with senior members of the Republican Study Committee Trump says “no doubt” that Tiger Woods will return after accident and his administration had with the Saudi government. Psaki said earlier this month that Biden would “recalibrate” relations with the Saudis, including talking to King Salman rather than his son, the Crown Prince.