President Joe Biden lashed out in Washington shortly after midnight Sunday when he said Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister denied ever hearing Biden confront Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. After spending several days in the Middle East, Biden landed outside the White House and answered a few questions from reporters, including a recent controversial remark by Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister. “Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said he didn’t hear you blame the crown prince for Khashoggi’s murder. Is he telling the truth?” asked the reporter. WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 16: President Joe Biden takes questions from reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on July 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images) “No,” Biden said quickly, before dismissing another reporter who asked about the fiasco. “Why don’t you talk about something that matters?” the president added. BIDEN ADVOCATES MORE FREEDOM IN MIDDLE EAST, TELLS LEADERS TO BE JUDGED IS ‘NOT FUN’ During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Biden told reporters that he had told MBS that he believed the Saudi leader was responsible for the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. SEAN HANNITY: ANOTHER TOUGH WEEK FOR TEAM BIDEN AS THE PRESIDENT GOES ABROAD Khashoggi was a Washington Post contributor who was killed in 2018 by Saudi security officials. The country’s leadership, including MBS, has been suspected of being involved in or approving the action. “Regarding the Khashoggi murder, I put that at the top of the meeting, making it clear what I thought about it at the time and what I think about it now,” Biden said at a news conference on Friday. WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 16: President Joe Biden exits Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on July 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images) Biden said MBS listened to him and responded during their meeting. “He [MBS] He basically said he wasn’t personally responsible for it. I indicated that it was, and he said that he was not personally responsible for it and took action against those who were responsible,” the president added. Biden said the world leaders then discussed “more about how dealing with any opposition to criticism of the Saudi administration in other countries was, to me, a violation of human rights.” WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 16: President Joe Biden exits Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on July 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images) The next day, however, as Biden left Saudi Arabia, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News Alex Hogan Biden never mentioned the Khashoggi killing during the visit. “I didn’t hear that particular phrase,” al-Jubeir said. “The President said that the U.S. is committed to human rights because ever since the founders wrote the constitution and he also emphasized that American presidents — that’s part of the agenda of every American president.” CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Speaking to reporters Sunday morning, Biden also said he is “hopeful” that inflation will come down soon and that his administration is “working” to prevent the incarceration of people who use marijuana. Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miler and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
