President Joe Biden's approach to a meeting with Saudi Arabia's crown prince was critiqued by a member of congress.
It was disappointing that Biden went from calling him a pariah to fist bumping him.
She said that the trip sends the wrong message to human rights defenders.
Despite his involvement in the murder of a journalist, Biden met with the Saudis.
During a presidential debate in 2020, the president promised to turn Saudi Arabia into a pariah state.
Critics thought the meeting was a bad decision despite Biden bringing up the involvement of the Saudis in the killing of the journalist.
"A presidential trip to Saudi Arabia right now is going to be confirmation, validation not just that it's business as usual but that MBS got away with murder," said a former US diplomat who advised multiple secretaries of state.
Biden would be sending a powerful signal that it's okay to do business with them.
"We have to stop saying we are going to do one thing and then do another because it messes with our credibility."
We would like to be a country that has moral standing when it comes to the defense of human rights. She said that the country needs to be interested in the advancement of democracy. This trip doesn't accomplish any of those things. Even if they are difficult, we have to be willing to stand up for ourselves.
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