Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Activists have circulated a video clip of White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre responding to a question about US President Joe Biden’s earlier statements against Saudi Arabia. In a way that emphasizes that the president’s words “stand still”, it will “pay the price.”
White House: Biden keeps his word to turn Saudi Arabia into a massive country and pay the price for Kashogi’s assassination. https://t.co/xk8US47YFR
During a daily press conference at the White House, a question arose: “US intelligence has estimated that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman is behind the assassination of journalist Jamal Kashoki, and the president has said he will. Did the American visit Saudi Arabia and meet the Crown Prince with these earlier reports that Saudi Arabia would pay the price and that the kingdom was a joke?
Today is a strange shift towards Riyadh in the policies and tone of the White House. The reports describe Saudi Arabia as a pariah and call on constitutional war authorities in the United States to end the war in Yemen, which they described as ugly.
Jean-Pierre replied: “First, his (Biden) words still stand today. I have no information about the words you gave, the arrival or its announcement, so I have nothing to offer you this. Time.”
The journalist added, “We want to know what price Saudi Arabia has paid so far for the murder of a journalist, Jamal Kashoki.”
In Arabic, CNN contacted Saudi officials to comment on the report, but did not respond to a request for comment.
“Reports by US officials to CNN about arranging a possible meeting between US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have sparked a reciprocal dialogue highlighting a major shift in US administration’s policy towards the state,” Biden described in previous statements.
The meeting, which is expected to take place next month, will mark a turning point for the US president, who comes after several months of diplomatic action and once declared Saudi Arabia “socially worthless”.
A White House spokesman said earlier this week that two senior US officials had visited Saudi Arabia to discuss global energy supplies, Iran and other regional issues. He said US officials were not asking for an increase in Saudi oil exports.
