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was specified in those terms.

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One.

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Number two, it was them

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assessment.

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>> Aaron, you and I have known

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him for a long time.

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He is to be the Saudi

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ambassador in Washington.

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What do you think of the way he

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responded to those questions on

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how the whole issue of Jamal

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khashoggi was treated during

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the course of the president

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meeting with Saudi leadership?

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And his own participation as

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minutes?

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>> Frankly, wolf, and I thought

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your questions were quite

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penetrating.

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The followups.

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I think it expose president

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Biden unnecessarily.

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I think that the president made

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a clear that the crown prince

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said that he was not

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responsible, even though

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[inaudible] A general sense but

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he was not responsible.

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The president said that he

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pushed back and said the crown

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prince, you are responsible.

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And what he's implying there,

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that part of the conversation

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never happened.

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This is part of the problem

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with the Saudis controlling the

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narrative.

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I think the fist bump, I think,

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the tone of this meeting, wolf,

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should've been very different.

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For public optics.

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The president, the fist bump, I

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think, suggest, and I think

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that --

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a certain casualness and

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intimacy.

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It was far too who chum like.

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I think present that it was

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very conflicted about this

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meeting.

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He is put human rights of the

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centerpiece of his agenda at a

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time when he is defending

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Ukraine, and human rights

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democracy against Russia.

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He is meeting with a ruthless

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and oppressive authoritarian,

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who is continuing to

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criminalize dissent, contain

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and hold U.S. Saudi nationals

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and Saudi Arabia.

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That is a problem.

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Particularly for the president,

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who genuinely believes that

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human rights and our values are

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critically important.

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We can argue that our values

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and interests, our values --

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there had to be a balance for

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this meeting.

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To release begin to deal with

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some of the criticism.

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Frankly, I don't think it was

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that balance in terms of tone

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and optics.

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There was a consequence, a is

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mounting.

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It will go away.

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But the stain that exists

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around mbs for khashoggi and

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other human rights abuses will

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not.

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>> So, as president Biden, air,

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interest turn the page on U.S.

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Audio relational, how this trip

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affect how he is viewed by

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other world leaders and by

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Americans and his commitment to

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human rights policies?

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>> It is an interesting

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question.

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I think that the public is,

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obviously, focus on domestic

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concerns, inflation, still,

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covid rising gas prices.

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The contradiction, anomalies in

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American foreign policy on this

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issue on human rights, Mr.

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Biden is not the exception,

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frankly, of a president who

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faced extremely difficult

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choices when it came to dealing

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with authoritarian or

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oppressive leaders who are --

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contribution as well to

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furthering American interests.

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The problem with the Saudis --

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this is not president XI.

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Saudi Arabia is presumed to be

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a friend, a partner.

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I wouldn't say an ally because

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there is no [inaudible] As we

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have with France, Germany,

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Canada, South Korea, Japan.

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Saudi Arabia is presumed to be

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friend and ally.

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I just don't think you can

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leave this on the table without

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pursuing a much more active

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human rights agenda with

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respect to current Saudi

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behavior.

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I think that is increasingly

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going to be a problem here.

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It is not going to go away.

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>> Aaron David Miller, thank

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you very much.

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Killing when it's to weigh in

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as well.

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People?

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>> I just wanna say one thing

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on top of.

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That this is not the first time

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that this administration has

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faced criticism over this

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because oftentimes they will

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point to straighten sanctions

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and Visa restrictions that they

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put on bar Saudi officials.

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Despite president Biden

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releasing that intelligence

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that confirmed that they do

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believe mbs ordered his murder,

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they never sanctioned directly