WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the Biden Administration’s release of an intelligence report that concludes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi:
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“This report confirms what was already suspected, directly linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This barbaric act joins a long list of outrages, including the continued detention of political prisoners Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu Al-Khair, as well as the continued harassment of religious minorities, foreign workers, journalists, women’s activists, and too many others.
“The Saudi regime also launched a disastrous war in Yemen that created a humanitarian nightmare. I applaud President Biden’s recent decision to halt U.S. participation in this tragic conflict. While we share a number of security interests, our continued relationship with the Saudi regime must include accountability on these deeply troubling matters.”
Durbin has been an outspoken critic of the Saudi-led war in Yemen, and has repeatedly voted to end unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Yemen. In October 2018, he called for the expulsion of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Prince Khalid bin Salman, until the completion of a credible third party investigation into the disappearance and murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
