Senator to Oppose Arms Sales to Qatar, UAE
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced May 12 that he will try to block U.S. arms sales to countries he believes are “paying off” President Donald Trump.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
A United Arab Emirates-based firm’s deal with a Trump family cryptocurrency company and Qatar’s reported offer to gift a Boeing 747-8 jet for use as Air Force One amount to “nuclear-grade graft,” Murphy wrote on X.
“Normally, arms sales go forward without a vote,” Murphy said. “But any senator can object and force a full debate and Senate vote. I will do that for any military deal with a nation that is paying off Trump personally. We can't act like this is normal foreign policy.”
In an emailed statement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the plane donation. "Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws,” she said. “President Trump's administration is committed to full transparency.”