June 2, 2022: Scoop Biden gets squeezed on potential MBS meeting
The Washington Post\u2019s David Ignatius reported this week that President Joe Biden will sit down with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman during a trip to the region later in June.\xa0\nThe White House\u2019s thinking here is pretty straightforward. The president has a gargantuan domestic political liability \u2014 high gas prices \u2014 that Saudi Arabia is in a position to help with. Combine that with the international political realities \u2014 MBS is young and will likely lead the kingdom for decades, the West needs new sources of oil given Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia\u2019s role as a regional power \u2014 and you have the makings of a rapprochement.\nIn a letter obtained exclusively by Playbook and being sent to Biden today, 9/11 Families United is demanding Biden bring up \u201caccountability for 9/11 in any conversations\u201d he has with MBS. If Biden doesn\u2019t, the family members write, \u201cit would signal to the world that you are willing to indulge years more of Saudi obfuscation and obstruction, and that America prioritizes the interests of foreign powers and economics more than the lives of its citizenry.\u201d Read the letter\nSubscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter\nRaghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook.Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.