WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, on Friday released the following statement on the Biden administration’s response to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi:

“The Biden administration is finally ending one of President Trump’s greatest cover-ups. By making the Saudi Crown Prince’s involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi known and issuing new punitive visa restrictions and Magnitsky financial sanctions, the administration is finally moving to hold those involved accountable and sending a signal to the world that such behavior against dissidents will not be tolerated without consequence,” said Murphy.

Murphy continued: “Jamal Khashoggi is just one of many brutally targeted by the Saudi government around the world. The Biden administration’s new campaign against the Kingdom’s pursuit of dissidents and their families abroad is long overdue and critical to deter other autocrats from following suit. While this specific campaign is important, I do believe we need a broader re-evaluation of our relationship with Saudi Arabia which begins with downsizing our security partnership and upgrading our focus on human rights. The administration’s arms sales review is an opportunity to reset the relationship based on U.S. interests and values. We clearly should not be selling offensive weapons to a country that is responsible for murdering an American journalist along with so many innocent civilians in Yemen. Doing so only enables Iran’s influence to grow and an arms race to spiral, both of which run contrary to broader U.S. security goals across the region.”

On Thursday, Murphy joined MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports to discuss the forthcoming release of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the need to reset the U.S.-Saudi partnership. This week, Murphy addressed the Council on Foreign Relations to make the case that U.S. policy in the Gulf no longer aligns with our interests, and detailed how President Biden can reset U.S. relationships in the region in a way that promotes American values, keeps the United States out of foreign entanglements, and prioritizes peace and stability across the region. Murphy also authored an op-ed in Foreign Affairs proposing a new path for U.S. Gulf policy under President Biden.


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