Politics

‘Punishing The Hit Man And Not The Mob Boss’: CNN’s Dana Bash Calls Out Biden’s Inaction Against Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Murder

Screenshot/CNN

Brandon Gillespie Media Reporter
Font Size:

CNN’s Dana Bash called out President Joe Biden’s administration on Sunday over its inaction against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) for his role in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki appeared on “State of the Union” Sunday and was asked by Bash why Biden hasn’t imposed any sort of punishment on MBS for his reported involvement in the murder when, as a candidate, Biden said he would hold Saudi leaders accountable for the “pariah that they are.” (RELATED: ‘Save MBS’ Ass’: Jake Tapper Says Donald Trump And Joe Biden Share Same Position On Khashoggi Murder)

“From the first day of the administration, we have been crystal clear at every level, from the president on down, we are going to recalibrate this relationship and turn the page from the last four years,” Psaki responded. “The release of this report, which was held back over the last four years, is part of that, making that clear to the public.”

“But we’ve also taken a number of steps through the Treasury Department, through the State Department, to sanction the deputy head of intelligence, to sanction their revolutionary forces in Saudi Arabia, and to make clear that we will never let this happen again. And that’s a message we’ve clearly sent over the last few days,” she continued.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released the declassified report on Khashoggi’s murder on Friday. It found that MBS ordered the murder and that it was carried out with his knowledge. The Biden administration did not include MBS in the group of individuals sanctioned following the release of the report because they viewed targeting him as an act that could damage the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S., the New York Times reported.

“But you’re talking about the people who are under the Crown Prince, and they are being punished. So isn’t punishing them like punishing the hitman and not the mob boss, who actually put out the hit?” Bash asked.

Psaki responded, explaining that “in recent history” no administration has put sanctions on leaders of foreign governments that the U.S. has diplomatic relations with. She said that they believe there are “more effective ways” to make sure this doesn’t happen again and at the same time to leave room to work with the Saudi’s on other issues.

“That is what diplomacy looks like and complicated global engagement looks like, and we have made no secret and been clear we are going to hold them accountable on the global stage and with direct actions,” she added.

Bash continued challenging Psaki, saying, “I hear you, but you say hold them accountable and it just doesn’t look like that when it comes to the notion of justice. And, 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 responded that Biden believes that it was a “horrific crime,” and that anyone who “threatens journalists” and dissidents should be held accountable and “have their travel visas revoked.” She added that the administration believes the relationship with Saudi Arabia needs to be maintained, albeit “recalibrated,” but that they will be held accountable for “human rights abuses.”

“I hear a lot of things that sound like the Biden administration is showing the Saudis in general some outrage and some consequences, but not specifically for the Crown Prince,” Bash responded.

“You know, and there are a lot of questions we can continue to ask about that, including President Biden promising that America is back and the question of whether or not the world will see that America is back if somebody who directs the brutal murder of a journalist is not specifically held accountable,” she concluded.

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel