The Biden administration has been widely criticised for its response after declassifying an intelligence report that found Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for an operation to “kill or capture” the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged that the administration would not sanction the Crown Prince directly, despite the intelligence finding. This has led to predictable allegations that the desire to buy Saudi oil at least in part explains the administration’s actions, or lack thereof.

But these criticisms don’t stand up under scrutiny.

Bloomberg