Newsman: The Biden administration granted immunity to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The administration said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should be granted immunity from a lawsuit filed by the fiancée of slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and by the rights group he founded, Democracy for the Arab World Now. The crown prince’s high office should shield him from the lawsuit the Biden administration said.
The White House said Friday the administration backed immunity for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from lawsuits for his role in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist as part of “customary institutional law.”
“The United States consistently has afforded head of state immunity to heads of governments such as prime ministers, consistent with customary institutional law,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Jean-Pierre said , the stance by the administration has “nothing to do with the merits of this case” and that backing immunity does not determine the United States and Saudi Arabia’s relationship.
“I would not read anything into this filing when it comes to the future of this relationship,” Jean-Pierre said.
