WATCH: CNN Now Says Biden Admin’s MBS Immunity Is ‘Suggestion’ After Reporting They ‘Granted’ Him Immunity

CNN corrected its reporting on the Biden administration’s recommendation of immunity for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, without calling it a correction.

On Friday morning, CNN reported, “New this morning, the Biden administration has determined Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, should be granted immunity” in a lawsuit over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and accompanied that reporting with a graphic that read “Biden Grants Immunity For Saudi Crown Prince in Khashoggi Murder.”

The news copy was technically not outright false, although misleading, but the graphic was false — neither President Joe Biden nor anyone in his administration “granted” immunity to MBS. The State Department and DoJ made a non-binding recommendation to the court based purely on the precedent the suit would set.

CNN’s own online report notes a department spokesperson told CNN, “This Suggestion of Immunity does not reflect an assessment on the merits of the case. It speaks to nothing on broader policy or the state of relations. This was purely a legal determination.”

Hours later, on Friday morning’s edition of CNN Newsroom With Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto, co-anchor Erica Hill hosted CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams to discuss the issue, and referred to what the network had formerly called a “grant” of immunity as a “suggestion.”

Williams explained that the “suggestion” will likely be followed by the judge — because it is consistent with the law governing heads of state:

ERICA HILL: So this is a, this is a suggestion of immunity. The State Department has said “this does not reflect the merits of the case.” However, it does seem to reflect MBS’s new role. He’s not just the crown prince anymore. He’s now prime minister of Saudi Arabia.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS: So a couple of things. One, it is a suggestion of immunity, but courts almost never, and I would say I think it’s safe to say would never override a recommendation from the Justice Department that an individual like this be granted immunity. What happens is, the big picture is that in international law, foreign leaders are not subjected to being sued or brought into court in different countries. It’s just not a satisfying result because of the fact that, number one, the American government has acknowledged how vicious and heinous this crime was. And number two, that he was a part of it back at the time and then and then hinting at it in the letter today. But there’s just no great outcome here.

ERICA HILL: So there’s no great outcome but. So just to confirm then, this is, this is ultimately up to a judge. But you’re saying it would be very surprising if the judge did not go along with this suggestion?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS: That’s absolutely it. I mean, what it is, is the Justice Department states in a letter to the court, this individual ought to be granted immunity because he is a foreign leader. Now, this would have been a very different decision two or three months ago before he was named head of state. He was, I guess, the head of the Defense Department in Saudi Arabia before that. And that person could be subjected to being sued in an American court. But unfortunately, now he’s head of state and he won’t. And again, that doesn’t take away from the fact that, again, we’ve acknowledged that he did it.

In any case, the suggestion of immunity is drawing anger and criticism of the administration.

Watch above via CNN Newsroom With Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto.