A government board advised President Joe Biden to declassify a full U.S. intelligence report on Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, but months later, the president has yet to do so.
The bipartisan panel, which oversees national classification and declassification policy, recommended in June that Biden release a complete assessment into the Saudi Arabian journalist’s 2018 assassination, according to the Wall Street Journal.
WHITE HOUSE SAYS BIDEN WASN’T TO BLAME FOR PUERTO RICO SHIPPING WAIVER DELAY
Two investigations into foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election could also be released in part, the Public Interest Declassification Board said in a letter reviewed by the outlet.
A National Security Council spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the president’s decision to withhold the intelligence community’s complete findings from the public.
The board did not respond to a request for comment confirming the report.
Transparency advocates say the decision by Biden points to a wider problem of overclassification and indicates a need for reform, though the Wall Street Journal said it had not determined the significance of the information withheld.
The Biden administration published an intelligence report on the murder in 2021 which claimed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — the kingdom’s de facto ruler, commonly called MBS — was responsible for Khashoggi’s murder and recommended sanctions and travel bans on Saudi officials. But these did not directly target MBS.
After releasing the report, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence retracted the initial document and scrubbed three names it had assessed connected with Khashoggi’s murder.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Biden has faced scrutiny for his handling of the U.S.-Saudi relationship after promising on the campaign trail to take a hard line against the “pariah” kingdom in response to Khashoggi’s murder.
After meeting with MBS in July, the president said he had confronted the crown prince about the killing.
