WASHINGTON — Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo decried the President Joe Biden administration's release of a declassified report regarding Saudi Arabia's involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi on Sunday, calling the report's release a "reckless" move.

Speaking on Fox News on Sunday, the former secretary of State under the Trump administration argued that the Biden administration had "political" motives for releasing the report and was bent on souring the US-Saudi relationship over the issue.

"The release of this report was reckless. It was political. It was aimed at harming a relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the use of intelligence in a way that, as a former CIA director, I would have never stood for," Pompeo said, adding, "So I regret that they chose to do this. It was a political stunt."

"I regret that because this administration wants to develop a relationship with Iran and destroy one with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, they chose to use intelligence to do that," the former secretary continued.

Pompeo's remarks are by far the strongest criticism by any former Trump administration official over the issue. Democrats have argued that the Biden administration has done more to hold the Saudi government accountable for Khashoggi's death. — The Hill