Yesterday, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and other Foreign Relations Committee members on a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan.
The letter calls for answers regarding recent media reports that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) transferred U.S. origin weapons to dangerous Yemeni militias, including groups aligned with al Qaeda. If accurate, Saudi Arabia and the UAE could be in violation of U.S. law and be endangering the lives of American service members. The senators requested an immediate briefing by senior Administration officials.
Citing UAE officials’ recent confirmation to Congressional staff that at least some of the reported transfers did in fact occur, the Senators laid out the serious implications of the allegations and expressed their alarm that such actions would be taken by American allies.