Jamal Khashoggi's death did not stop the Trump administration from approving the transfer of nuclear power tech to Saudi Arabia

Mohammed bin Salman.
(Image credit: BANDAR ALDANDANI/AFP/Getty Images)

It was a known fact that the U.S. made multiple transfers of nuclear power technology to Saudi Arabia since 2017, but Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said on Tuesday that transfers occurred even after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of his own government.

Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, and his death sparked a newfound skepticism toward the U.S.'s relationship with Saudi Arabia, in general, from members of Congress, but there was particular concern about the nuclear technology sharing. Kaine had previously asked Energy Secretary Rick Perry if any of his approvals for the transfers were made after Khashoggi's death, to which Perry replied he wasn't sure, Reuters reports.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.