The Biden administration is petitioning a U.S. court to grant Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sovereign immunity in a civil case seeking legal accountability for his involvement in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The State Department argued Bin Salman’s new role as Saudi Arabia’s prime minister means that he is “the sitting head of government and, accordingly, immune.” Biden vowed as a presidential candidate to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” for the state-sponsored killing of Khashoggi, who was a Washington Post columnist, but since taking office, Biden has refused to condemn bin Salman for ordering Khashoggi’s killing and dismemberment.