HOUSE DEMOCRATS WILL URGE BIDEN TO “REBALANCE” SAUDI RELATIONSHIP – By Ken Klippenstein (The Intercept) / April 12, 2022
Members of Congress drafted a letter demanding information on an unprecedented but little-known report reconsidering U.S.-Saudi relations.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS, frustrated with President Joe Biden’s handling of Saudi Arabia, plan to send a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting information on the administration’s assessment of the U.S.-Saudi relationship and urging him to “rebalance” support for the kingdom. While this might seem like a relatively innocuous ask in light of the intense conflict with Saudi Arabia over oil production and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the letter hints at the existence of an unprecedented and expansive review of U.S.-Saudi relations conducted by the administration that has not yet been made public.
“A recalibration of the U.S.-Saudi partnership is long overdue in order to reflect President Biden’s important commitment to uphold human rights and democratic values in our foreign policy,” reads a draft of the letter obtained by The Intercept. The effort, led by Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Jim McGovern, D-Mass., currently has more than 20 Democratic members signed on. “We look forward to your response on the status of the review of the entirety of the U.S.-Saudi relationship that takes into account such matters,” it continues.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Blinken said the administration would conduct a broad review of the U.S.-Saudi relationship, but no review has been discussed publicly since then. According to a U.S. intelligence official with direct knowledge, however, a highly classified National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE, regarding the U.S.-Saudi relationship was completed sometime around the new year and included in Biden’s daily briefing. (The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.)
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