WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that the Biden administration condemns Saudi Arabia’s jailing of a US citizen for over 16 years over his tweets — after the man’s son said President Biden “sold my father for oil” by ignoring his plight.

Saad Almadi, 72, was sentenced on Oct. 3 to 16 years and three months in prison over 14 tweets that were mildly critical of the Saudi government, according to his son Ibrahim.

Biden outraged Almadi’s family by failing to secure his release or even publicly mention his case during a July visit to Saudi Arabia to patch up relations with crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler. The State Department failed to send an observer to the sentencing hearing this month, further upsetting the family.

“We can confirm the detention of Mr. Almadi in Saudi Arabia and are closely following his case,” Jean-Pierre said at her regular briefing.

“We have consistently and intensively raised our concerns regarding this case at senior levels of the Saudi government in both Washington and also in Saudi [Arabia],” Jean-Pierre said. “We will continue to do so. The Saudi government understands the priority we attach to resolving this matter. Exercising the freedom of expression should never be criminalized.”

Saad Almadi moved from Saudi Arabia to the US in the 1970s and was detained in November 2021 during a return visit to sell property, according to his son.

Ibrahim Almadi told The Post in a Tuesday interview that he was encouraged by the US government to avoid seeking publicity — only to have officials do little to help.

“[Biden] sold my father for oil, that’s clear to us. Especially when we saw the news last week about how they requested to delay the OPEC [oil export cuts] decision a month,” Ibrahim Almadi told The Post.

Two days after the sentence was imposed, Saudi-led OPEC+ on Oct. 5 announced a 2% oil production cut, ignoring Biden envoy pleas. The decision could increase gas prices, hurting Democrats in the Nov. 8 election, and it prompted Biden to say that he would reassess the US-Saudi relationship.

“He got sold for oil, but they didn’t receive the oil. So there is no father, no oil. There’s nothing — there is only shame, that is what the White House has got now,” Ibrahim Almadi said Tuesday.

A State Department official confirmed to Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin that the department failed to alert the US Embassy in Riyadh of Almadi’s sentencing date. “Unfortunately, that information wasn’t passed [to the embassy]. That is something we deeply regret,” the official said.

Biden visited Saudi Arabia in July after US gasoline prices hit all-time average highs of more than $5 per gallon in June — setting aside his prior attempt to sideline bin Salman over the US intelligence community’s conclusion that he ordered the 2018 operation that killed another Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi.

Biden exchanged a fist bump with bin Salman, but the Saudis moved to cut oil production weeks later, embarrassing the US leader.

Before Biden’s trip, Ibrahim Almadi said he called the White House switchboard almost every day from late May to try to speak with Stephanie Hallett, the National Security Council’s acting senior director for the Middle East and North Africa. At one point, a White House phone operator allegedly asked, “Why do you want to talk to someone who doesn’t want to talk to you?”

In August, after Biden’s visit, a State Department official allegedly laughed at Almadi’s complaint that his father, a registered Republican in Florida, would be unable to vote in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

“I am Democratic myself. I voted for Biden, which is a stupid mistake,” Ibrahim said. “My father’s a Republican registered voter. He wants to participate in the coming election. They laughed and said that your father should request a paper ballot.”

Saad Almadi’s offending tweets included remarks that Saudi officials were unable to protect national borders amid rocket fire from Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen and encouragement of people acquiring Lebanese citizenship. He also said he agreed with naming a street after Khashoggi.