According to a questionnaire provided to CNN for review, a series of questions were sent to Al-Jabri’s legal team this month by the state department “to help high-level officials.” From a source close to Al-Jabri.
U.S. It is therefore common for heads of state and foreign government officials to grant sovereign immunity, a step that is often required under international law. Immunity is periodically waived, however, especially if US policy is to put pressure on a foreign government.
In 2003, U.S.A. Claimed in federal court that then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin was being taken to court on charges of torture and genocide, on the grounds that the head of state was immune from action.
Legal experts said it is common for the state department to consult with key players and outside agencies before providing a recommendation to the state justice department before any immunity is granted.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment. A State Department spokesman said they would not comment on the pending lawsuit. The Saudi embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. The National Security Council, which deals with foreign policy issues and matters involving foreign leaders, did not respond to requests for comment.
In a lawsuit filed in DC District Court in August, al-Jabari accused the state’s powerful de facto ruler, bin Salman, of sending a hit team to assassinate him just a year after he fled Saudi Arabia.
In the royal court, where U.S. Proximity is paramount, Salman’s main rival for the crown was his elder cousin Mohammed bin Nayef, known as MBN. Al-Jabri was MBN’s longtime number two and promoted close ties with U.S. intelligence officials as they worked to fight terrorism. Former U.S. officials say working ties between the U.S. and al-Jabari have helped save countless lives.
Al-Jabari denied repeated attempts by the Crown Prince to lure him back to Saudi Arabia or to make him more accessible somewhere in Saudi Arabia, according to the complaint. Al-Jabari alleges that in response, the Crown Prince escalated his threats, saying that the Saudis would use “all available means” to bring him back, and threatened “action that would be harmful to you.” Al-Jabri also names a number of alleged co-conspirators, including two individuals who were behind the Khashoggi operation.
Al-Jabari sued the U.S. federal court because he was a U.S. citizen. Al-Jabari spokesman told CNN earlier this year.
‘Very strongly’
Questions sent by the State Department to Al Jazeera’s legal team, the first of which was reported by the Washington Post, sought details of his allegations about the Crown Prince’s involvement in the alleged assassination plot.
For example, they ask Al-Jabari’s lawyers to “describe in as much detail as possible in the complaint for which you directly thank Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.”
He also asks al-Jabari’s lawyers if they have “the theory that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud is not immune based on anything other than the nature of the alleged acts against him.”
According to Woodward, Trump also doubled down on protecting MBS during the private controversy, saying, “I saved his ass.” Trump added: “I was able to get Congress to leave them alone. I was able to stop them,” the book said.
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