Khashoggi's fiancée calls out Biden for fist-bumping Saudi leader after promising accountability: 'The blood of MBS's next victim is on your hands'

• The fiancée of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi slammed Biden for meeting with MBS on Friday.
• Hatice Cengiz tweeted a fake tweet from Khashoggi, claiming Biden had "blood" on his hands.

The fiancée of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi criticized President Joe Biden for fist-bumping Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when the two leaders met on Friday.

Hatice Cengiz tweeted a screenshot of a fake tweet appearing to be a post from Khashoggi and said, "What Jamal Khashoggi would tweet today."

The fake tweet includes a photo of Biden greeting Prince Mohammed — who is often referred to as MBS — to kick off their first face-to-face meeting.

"Hey @POTUS, Is this the accountability you promised for my murder? The blood of MBS' next victim is on your hands," the text of the fake tweet read.

—Hatice Cengiz / خديجة (@mercan_resifi) July 15, 2022

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi national who'd been critical of the kingdom's leadership in his writing, was brutally murdered in Turkey in 2018. His killing was carried out in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Last year, the Biden administration released a declassified intelligence report that explicitly implicated MBS in Khashoggi's murder.

"We assess that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi," the report said.

Ahead of Biden's controversial and high-stakes meeting with MBS on Friday, it was unclear whether the president would address Khashoggi's murder with MBS. Biden vowed during his 2020 presidential campaign to make the kingdom a "pariah."

It was also unclear whether the two leaders would shake hands, though they ended up opting for the fist bump — which has already made the rounds on social media.

—Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 15, 2022

During Friday's meeting with MBS, Biden dodged a question from a reporter asking if he still considered the country to be a "pariah," Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs tweeted.

NBC reporter Peter Alexander tweeted that he asked MBS if he would apologize to Khashoggi's family and said a Saudi aide grabbed his arm as the kingdom's leader smirked.

Last month, Cengiz criticized Biden for scheduling the visit, claiming he was "putting oil over principles and expediency over principles."

Biden during a news conference in Israel on Thursday defended his trip to the kingdom, stating it was important to US interests.

"I think we have an opportunity to reassert what I think we made a mistake of walking away from — our influence in the Middle East," Biden said.

"We can continue to lead in the region and not create a vacuum — a vacuum that is filled by China and/or Russia against the interests of both Israel and the United States and many other countries," the president added.

Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia, an oil-rich country, comes amid a global energy crisis tied to the Ukraine war and COVID-19 pandemic. It also occurred as the Biden administration continues to push for the restoration of the Iran nuclear deal, an Obama era pact that the Saudis have often criticized.