CNN’s Jake Tapper called out President Joe Biden on Friday for not sanctioning Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman directly over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, given how the Biden administration released an intel report that concluded the crown prince ordered the operation.

A report on Biden’s decision indicated concerns about how going after MBS directly would affect the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, and in the past few days several administration officials have tried to defend the decision.

Tapper followed up Monday as he noted again the Biden administration is “making excuses about why they are not directly holding the Saudi crown prince, MBS, directly responsible.”

He played comments from White House press secretary Jen Psaki before noting Biden’s own 2019 comments about holding MBS accountable.

CNN’s Phil Mattingly said based on conversations he’s had with officials, it’s clear “there was never any real effort to sanction” MBS.

He noted the White House “has made the calculation that Saudi Arabia is a crucial geopolitical ally and therefore they’re not willing to take that step despite what President Biden said on the campaign trail.”

Tapper closed the segment by remarking, “They’re such an ally, maybe they should stop killing our journalists.”

You can watch above, via CNN.

The post Tapper Calls Out Biden ‘Excuses’ on MBS: If Saudi Arabia’s Such a Big Ally, ‘Maybe They Should Stop Killing Our Journalists’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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