Bob Menendez: Trump administration seeking to strike arms deal with Saudi Arabia

The ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday claimed that the State Department is attempting to strike another multi-million dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

The development comes in the wake of the May 15 firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, who was allegedly conducting a review of Mr. Trump’s emergency declaration to push a controversial weapons deal with Saudi Arabia last year — which Democrats have suggested could be linked to the sudden ouster.

“The administration is currently trying to sell thousands more precision-guided bombs to the President’s ’friend,’ Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” Sen. Bob Menendez, New Jersey Democrat, wrote in a CNN op-ed Wednesday.

“The American people have the right to know that while the Trump administration cannot seem to be bothered to build a political coalition to combat the biggest pandemic in a century, they recently managed to find a way to double down on President Donald Trump’s repulsive embrace of Saudi Arabia’s murderous regime,” he wrote.

Mr. Menendez, the top Democrat on the committee, explained that before lockdowns were initiated across the country due to the coronavirus outbreak, he had received a draft State Department document about the previously undisclosed sale.

Lawmakers’ opposition to Saudi arms sales has expanded since Congress restricted several billion dollars worth of weapons over concerns the kingdom was using them in the military campaign in Yemen and in response to the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an outspoken Saudi dissident.

Citing heightened threats from Iran, the administration last year invoked provisions in the Arms Export Control Act that allow the president to waive congressional review of foreign arms sales. The administration argued that funneling arms to regional allies such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE was vital to keeping Tehran in check.

“There was no emergency. It was a fabricated tale to reward an eager and unsavory customer of U.S. arms,” Mr. Menendez wrote.

Mr. Linick was ousted from his role earlier this month after President Trump said he no longer had the “fullest confidence” in Mr. Linick, who has been in the position since 2013.

House Democrats quickly launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the firing, and have since called for Mr. Linick’s ouster to be reversed.

“Not only has the President admitted to removing the IG at Pompeo’s behest, but the administration is also trying to get Congress to rubber stamp another massive sale of munitions to the Saudis,” Mr. Menendez said.

“Until we have an answer, Congress must reject this new multi-million dollar sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia.”