Summary: President Trump announced approval of a proposed sale of F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia despite a Defense Intelligence Agency warning that China could gain access to the jet’s sensitive technology through Riyadh’s security ties with Beijing. The announcement came one day before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s high-profile White House visit. A New York Times investigation also raised concerns about overlaps between the administration’s foreign-policy decisions and the Trump family’s business interests, noting Dar Global’s Trump-branded projects in Saudi Arabia. Critics say the sale raises serious national-security and ethics questions because it appears to sidestep Pentagon concerns and risks mixing public policy with private profit.
Trump Approves F-35 Sale to Saudi Arabia Despite Pentagon Warnings, Sparking Ethics and Security Concerns
Summary: President Trump announced approval of a proposed sale of F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia despite a Defense Intelligence Agency warning that China could gain access to the jet’s sensitive technology through Riyadh’s security ties with Beijing. The announcement came one day before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s high-profile White House visit. A New York Times investigation also raised concerns about overlaps between the administration’s foreign-policy decisions and the Trump family’s business interests, noting Dar Global’s Trump-branded projects in Saudi Arabia. Critics say the sale raises serious national-security and ethics questions because it appears to sidestep Pentagon concerns and risks mixing public policy with private profit.
Trump Approves F-35 Sale to Saudi Arabia Despite Pentagon Warnings
Saudi Arabia has sought to acquire dozens of F-35 stealth fighters even as Pentagon officials cautioned against the transfer. A broad assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency — part of the Department of Defense — warned that China could potentially gain access to the jet’s sensitive technology because of security ties between Riyadh and Beijing, The New York Times reported.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump announced his administration would move forward with the sale despite those warnings. The president offered no detailed justification for overriding the Pentagon assessment, and when asked he merely said the Saudis have "been a great ally" before changing the subject.
The timing of the announcement intensified scrutiny: Trump’s comment came one day before the White House hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, for a high-profile visit that included a black-tie dinner described by the Washington Post as having "all the trappings of a state visit." Critics said the proximity of the announcement to the crown prince’s visit raised questions about whether protocol or optics influenced the decision.
Compounding national-security concerns are reports of growing overlaps between the administration’s foreign-policy decisions and the president’s private business interests. A separate New York Times investigation warned that the mixing of politics and profitmaking during President Trump’s second term has "shattered American norms," alarming ethics scholars. That report noted the crown prince oversees Diriyah, a major construction project that has been in talks with entities connected to the Trump family business.
"The mixing of politics and profitmaking during President Trump’s second term has shattered American norms," the Times reported, highlighting the potential conflict when public policy overlaps with private deals.
The Times also reported that the Trump Organization’s business partner, Dar Global, "has announced at least four Trump-branded developments in Saudi Arabia." How much — if any — of those commercial ties influenced the administration’s decision to approve the jets remains unknown.
Critics say the broader institutional issue is clear: weapons transfers and other national-security decisions should be made in ways that eliminate any reasonable appearance that personal financial interests could influence policy. Observers expressed concern that the decision to proceed with the sale appeared to sidestep Pentagon intelligence and invited questions about ethics and accountability at the highest level.
Originally published on MSNBC.com.