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


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.
But in Tuesday's statement Kaine said that the Trump administration approved seven transfers overall and that two of those transfers occurred after Khashoggi's death — one on October 18, 2018, and the other on February 18, 2019. Kaine also raised concern that the approvals were made with the Trump family's financial interests in mind, "rather than the interests of the American people." Kaine said that "President Trump's eagerness to give the Saudis anything they want" is one of the main drivers "fueling a dangerous escalation of tension" in the Middle East, likely referring to burgeoning quarrel with Iran. Tim O'Donnell
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Sodium batteries could make electric flight viable
Under the Radar Low-cost fuel cell has higher energy density and produces chemical by-product that could absorb CO2 from the atmosphere
-
Flying into danger
Feature America's air traffic control system is in crisis. Can it be fixed?
-
Pocket change: The demise of the penny
Feature The penny is being phased out as the Treasury plans to halt production by 2026
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges