Rubio, Menendez request probe into administration's nuclear negotiations with Saudi Arabia
Rubio, Menendez request probe into administration's nuclear negotiations with Saudi Arabia
By Rachel Frazin - 03/15/19 11:18 AM EDT
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on Thursday called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the Trump administration's nuclear negotiations with Saudi Arabia amid reports that senior White House officials pushed for the sale of nuclear technology to Riyadh.
"We request that GAO conduct an urgent review of [the Department of Energy's] interactions with Saudi Arabia regarding nuclear cooperation, how it has coordinated with or involved other relevant agencies, particularly the State Department, and the specific initiatives or proposals for nuclear cooperation that have been presented or discussed in those interactions," the senators wrote in a letter to Gene Dorado, who leads the GAO.
The two said in their letter that members of the Foreign Relations Committee, including both of them, are concerned that discussions on nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia "are happening in a very opaque manner" and that "DOEs interactions with Saudi Arabia are not being fully coordinated within the interagency and that other key agencies, such as the State Department, may not be fully engaged or involved in the DOE-led discussions or negotiations."
They specifically requested that the GAO probe the extent of Energy Department interactions with Saudi organizations regarding future cooperation, what the nature of such interactions has been, whether the Energy Department has involved other government agencies and officials in these interactions and whether Energy officials have shared information with nongovernmental organizations or commercial entities.
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https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/434227-rubio-menendez-request-probe-into-administrations-nuclear?fbclid=IwAR1RubIjXVy0AwrhpGsB38oOc1lQK2kt4COmysrbmMCxGJ30TfS5PVO-f38