Democrats probe White House plan to sell sensitive US nuclear technology to Saudis
- Report raises concerns about whether some in a White House sought to circumvent national security procedures to push a Saudi deal that could financially benefit close supporters of the president
- Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns that Saudi Arabia could develop nuclear weapons
US lawmakers said they were probing whether President Donald Trump is rushing to sell sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia to please corporate supporters who stand to profit handsomely.
The House of Representatives committee in charge of investigations, led by the rival Democratic Party since last month, said that “multiple whistle-blowers” warned of conflicts of interest “that could implicate federal criminal statutes”.
Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, asked the White House to turn over documents including those related to a meeting two months into Trump’s tenure between his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Saudi Arabia’s powerful Mohammed bin Salman, who soon afterward became crown prince.
An initial report by the committee said that “strong private commercial interests have been pressing aggressively” to transfer sensitive technology to Saudi Arabia.
“These commercial entities stand to reap billions of dollars through contracts associated with constructing and operating nuclear facilities in Saudi Arabia – and apparently have been in close and repeated contact with President Trump and his administration to the present day,” the report said.
Objectors – including White House lawyers and National Security Council officials – opposed the plan out of concern that it violated laws designed to prevent the transfer of nuclear technology that could be used to support a weapons programme.