Money Talks: Senators Who Tried to Kill Yemen War Resolution Were Paid by Saudis

Local Editor

Newsweek magazine revealed that at least five of the Republican Senators, who voted against the bill that would end all US military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, have received funding from lobbyists working for Saudi Arabia.

This fact that illustrates how the kingdom uses its vast wealth to influence US foreign policy.

On Wednesday, senators delivered a historic blow to the country’s relationship with ally Saudi Arabia, whose leadership has committed notable human rights violations.

“But at least five of the Republican Senators who voted against the bill have received funding from lobbyists working for Saudi Arabia, a fact that illustrates how the kingdom uses its vast wealth to influence US foreign policy,” the magazine said.

Republican Senators Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Mike Crapo of Idaho, and Tim Scott of South Carolina received financial contributions from lobbying firms that worked for Saudi Arabia, according to a report by the Center for International Policy released last month.

The report names Blunt as one of the top 10 recipients of campaign contributions from firms representing Saudi Arabia in 2017, along with Democratic lawmakers like Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Robert Menendez of New Jersey. Blunt’s campaign received $19,250 in campaign contributions from Saudi-linked firms last year.

None of the senators responded to requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia spent around $27 million on lobbying in 2017, according to some estimates. Department of Justice filings show that the Saudi government has spent almost $7 million on foreign agents in 2018.

Senators voted 63 in favor and 37 against to move the resolution forward on Tuesday. The vote was a procedural step that will see the bill move forward in the Senate, but the House of Representatives has yet to act on Yemen.

“I commend the Senate for advancing a bipartisan resolution to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. It’s insane that Congress has gone this long without taking formal action to curb US involvement in atrocities committed in Yemen. Thank you to the 63 senators, who today took a step towards saying ‘enough is enough,’” Ted Lieu, Democratic Congressman from California said in a statement.

On Wednesday, a prosecutor in Argentina accepted a request from the organization Human Rights Watch to prosecute Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for crimes against humanity, a move that was spurred by the murder information.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team