WASHINGTON — A federal judge tossed a lawsuit brought against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in response to input from the Biden administration that claimed he was immune in his newly-appointed prime minister post.
The court, under separation of powers, must yield to the executive branch despite its “uneasiness, then, with both the circumstances of bin Salman’s appointment and the credible allegations of his involvement in Khashoggi’s murder,” wrote U.S. District Judge John Bates in a filing in Washington.
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancé and plaintiff in the lawsuit, accused Saudi Arabia of trying to manipulate U.S. courts by appointing the crown prince as head of government only six days before the Justice Department’s deadline to weigh in on the case.
