Fresh Off CODEL to the Gulf, Murphy Accuses Trump, Hegseth of 'Active Cover Up' of Iran War, Addresses Future of U.S.-Saudi Relations

WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) offered his first takeaway on his Congressional Delegation (CODEL) trip to the Middle East, which included stops in Doha, Qatar and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to members of the press to share reflections and answer questions. Murphy was the first Democratic Senator to visit the Gulf since the start of Trump's war with Iran.

Murphy spoke on the growing chaos he witnessed on the ground in the Middle East, as Trump's Iran War continues to spiral: "I saw firsthand how this war is spiraling downward very quickly. The Riyadh airport is functionally closed, with hundreds of flights being delayed or canceled. The day that I left there were Iranian attacks on the airport. You can sense that Saudi Arabia is a country at war right now. They are starting a major ground campaign with their Yemeni government partners, and you feel in Saudi Arabia how this war has become a regional war. This was, of course, completely foreseeable and predictable."

Murphy chronicled how Pete Hegseth is orchestrating a cover-up of the Iran war, blocking members of Congress from conducting standard oversight of military bases, or even speaking to military leadership in the Gulf: "There is an active cover-up going on right now… I spoke personally to Admiral Cooper and asked him to give us access. I told him during a briefing that we had with him right before I left that not only had I been denied access to the bases, but that military leadership wasn't even going to speak with me while I was in Qatar. I will tell you he was surprised to learn that the policy also prevented him and his leadership from speaking to me at that meeting. At that briefing we had with him early last week, he promised that it would be possible to at least provide a briefing. My impression was certainly-I do not want to speak for him-but my impression was that he didn't support either policy: neither the policy to deny access to bases nor the policy to refuse briefings. But apparently he couldn't change Secretary Hegseth's mind because when I arrived in Qatar, I was told that not only would I not be able to see Al Udeid, but I would not have any access to military leadership while I was there. But this cover-up is real. Hegseth is determined to hide the cost and the consequences of this war from the American public. It is absolutely outrageous that I and Republican senators are being denied the ability to see the damage for ourselves."

Murphy laid out the long, bipartisan history of Members of Congress conducting oversight in active war zones, and how Hegseth's Department of Defense blocked Murphy's efforts to visit Al Udeid Air Base: "It is absolutely ordinary for members of Congress to travel to areas of conflict and get to talk directly to the military leaders and the soldiers that are involved in the conflict, and see for ourselves the damage that has been done to our bases and equipment. I traveled to both Iraq and Afghanistan at the height of those wars. I was in Baghdad during one of the most dangerous offensives there. I was flown by the military to a forward operating base in Afghanistan at the very moment that base was under attack by the Taliban. Why? Because it's Congress that decides whether to fund a war or whether to defund a war, whether to authorize a war, and we can't do our job without seeing in-person the consequences of the war. I made every effort I could to be able to carry out my responsibility as a member of the Senate. We reached out to the Department of Defense to tell them we were coming weeks in advance and asked them for access to bases there, in particular Al Udeid, which is our biggest military installation in the region in Qatar. We followed that up with a formal request in writing, and then I spoke personally to Admiral Cooper and asked him to give us access."

Describing the extensive, long-term damage to the American Embassy in Saudi Arabia, Murphy emphasized that Trump's recklessness put dozens of American lives at risk: "I was able to view the damage at our embassy in Saudi Arabia. It was extraordinary. Had that attack happened during the daytime, there's no doubt that there would have been many, many Americans killed. I saw the damage at Raslif, the big Qatari gas plant. 17% of their exports have been eliminated, probably at least for the next three years as they repair that damage. I saw only one LNG tanker in port, whereas they normally have six tankers in that port. One is leaving per day on average compared to ten before the war."

Murphy described his candid conversations with leadership in the region funneling money to the Trump family, pressing them to end the corruption: "I told the Qataris that no matter how much pressure they got from Donald Trump to gift that plane, they should have said no, because it is obvious what's happening here. The plane is going to be in U.S. hands for a matter of years, and then Trump is going to take it knowing that this was a corrupt deal. The Qataris should have said no. I also spoke very candidly to Mohammed bin Salman and told him that his investments in Jared Kushner's private equity funds and his invitation to Trump and his business entities to partner on projects in Saudi Arabia was an enormous problem for the U.S.-Saudi relationship in the long run. Both leaders told me that they believe this to be good business, and they claimed, of course, that they were doing nothing illegal on their end of the deal. Even if that's true, the problem is that Trump is shaping our foreign policy in order to try to get deals in the region."

As one of the Senate's loudest critics of the Saudi regime, Murphy explained his decision to meet with Mohammed Bin Salman and stressed the need for multiple American perspectives in the region: "I definitely thought long and hard about whether I should meet with Mohammed bin Salman, given my criticism and given the legitimacy that sometimes comes with meetings with leaders in the United States. But I worry that the Saudis, in particular, are hearing only one view from the United States, and I think it was important for them to hear from my side of the aisle that cares about the corruption and wants there to be more political space for dissidents to operate in Saudi Arabia and throughout the region."

Murphy recognized how far Saudi Arabia has come over the last decade, but maintained that more must be done for political dissidents: "One of the reasons I wanted to go to Saudi Arabia is because I do know that there is a social transformation happening in that country, and I wanted to see it for myself. It is real. Just a decade ago, there were no movie theaters or concert halls open. Men and women weren't sitting with each other in cafes. Certainly, women were not allowed to walk around in public uncovered. All of those things are happening. There is a legitimate social and cultural transformation happening in Saudi Arabia and it was I think important for me to see it for myself. That being said, there's no defense for what has also happened in Saudi Arabia in the last 10 years-a massive contraction of political space. There is no room to dissent from the kingdom's policies, and that's unacceptable."

In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) under Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership denied Murphy access to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, despite decades of precedent for DOD supporting CODELs to American military bases under active threat to uphold Congress's oversight duties. Prior to his CODEL, Murphy requested access to the base via a letter and direct appeal to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) leadership to no avail. While DOD denied him access to U.S. military facilities, the U.S. Department of State supported Murphy's trip to the region.

In Saudi Arabia, Murphy sat down with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; met with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud; toured the damage done to the U.S. embassy in Riyadh; engaged with economic and cultural leaders; and talked with University of New Haven students at the first American university campus in Saudi Arabia, among other things.

In Qatar, Murphy met with His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Additionally, Murphy met with Ali Al Thawadi, Qatari Minister for Strategic Affairs and a key diplomat who coordinates U.S.-Iran shuttle diplomacy; Qatari royal and Qatar Foundation Vice Chair Sheikha Hind Al Thani in Education City to discuss the presence of American universities in Qatar; and Qatar Energy CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, among others.

A transcript of Murphy's opening remarks is available below. A video of his opening remarks is available here.

I went to the Middle East because it's really important for members of Congress to see firsthand the impact of war, and we are at war with Iran, a war that is spiraling out of control. This is a very important function of Congress, particularly for members of the Foreign Relations Committee and members of the Defense Appropriations Committee, and I am both.

I saw firsthand how this war is spiraling downward very quickly, and that's the first point I want to make. I think as we speak right now, the Riyadh airport is functionally closed, with hundreds of flights being delayed or canceled. The day that I left there were Iranian attacks on the airport, and you can sense that Saudi Arabia is a country at war right now. They are starting a major ground campaign with their Yemeni government partners, and you feel in Saudi Arabia how this war has become a regional war. This was, of course, completely foreseeable and predictable. Everybody knew that if we went to war with Iran, there would be other wars that would erupt in the region, and being there-being able to see the damage that was done to our embassy, being in Qatar and seeing the massive damage that was done to their biggest gas plants-it was a unique and harrowing opportunity for me to see in person how out of control this war has become and how it's getting worse, not better. Especially as Yemen plunges into crisis again, which will lead to the death of thousands and the starvation of thousands more.

The second thing to say is this: there is an active cover-up going on right now. It is absolutely ordinary for members of Congress to travel to areas of conflict and get to talk directly to the military leaders and the soldiers that are involved in the conflict, and see for ourselves the damage that has been done to our bases and equipment. I traveled to both Iraq and Afghanistan at the height of those wars. I was in Baghdad during one of the most dangerous offensives there. I was flown by the military to a forward operating base in Afghanistan at the very moment that base was under attack by the Taliban. Why? Because it's Congress that decides whether to fund a war or whether to defund a war, whether to authorize a war, and we can't do our job without seeing in person the consequences of the war.

I made every effort I could to be able to carry out my responsibility as a member of the Senate. We reached out to the Department of Defense to tell them we were coming weeks in advance and asked them for access to bases there, in particular Al Udeid, which is our biggest military installation in the region in Qatar. We followed that up with a formal request in writing, and then I spoke personally to Admiral Cooper and asked him to give us access. I told him during a briefing that we had with him right before I left that not only had I been denied access to the bases, but that military leadership wasn't even going to speak with me while I was in Qatar. I will tell you he was surprised to learn that the policy also prevented him and his leadership from speaking to me at that meeting. At that briefing we had with him early last week, he promised that it would be possible to at least provide a briefing. My impression was certainly-I do not want to speak for him-but my impression was that he didn't support either policy: neither the policy to deny access to bases nor the policy to refuse briefings. But apparently he couldn't change Secretary Hegseth's mind because when I arrived in Qatar, I was told that not only would I not be able to see Al Udeid, but I would not have any access to military leadership while I was there.

As I mentioned, that didn't stop me from being able to see the damage. I was able to view the damage at our embassy in Saudi Arabia. It was extraordinary. Had that attack happened during the daytime, there's no doubt that there would have been many, many Americans killed. I saw the damage at Raslif, the big Qatari gas plant. 17% of their exports have been eliminated, probably at least for the next three years as they repair that damage. I saw only one LNG tanker in port, whereas they normally have six tankers in that port. One is leaving per day on average compared to ten before the war. So I was able to see some of the damage, but this cover-up is real. Hegseth is determined to hide the cost and the consequences of this war from the American public. It is absolutely outrageous that I and Republican senators are being denied the ability to see the damage for ourselves.

The third thing to say is this: I spoke to both the [Qatari] Emir and Mohammed bin Salman about Trump's foreign policy corruption. These were hard conversations, but I think that they were very important, especially since most of the dialog our leaders in the Middle East are having is with corrupt members of the Trump administration who often have their hand out looking to monetize American foreign policy. I told the Qataris that no matter how much pressure they got from Donald Trump to gift that plane, they should have said no, because it is obvious what's happening here. The plane is going to be in U.S. hands for a matter of years, and then Trump is going to take it knowing that this was a corrupt deal. The Qataris should have said no. I also spoke very candidly to Mohammed bin Salman and told him that his investments in Jared Kushner's private equity funds and his invitation to Trump and his business entities to partner on projects in Saudi Arabia was an enormous problem for the U.S.-Saudi relationship in the long run. Both leaders told me that they believe this to be good business, and they claimed, of course, that they were doing nothing illegal on their end of the deal. Even if that's true, the problem is that Trump is shaping our foreign policy in order to try to get deals in the region. I do not think it's a coincidence that he was willing to do unprecedented business with the Saudis, selling them F-35s, entering into an incomplete nuclear deal. For him, he believes that that helps entice the Saudis to do further business with him and his friends.

The last thing I'll say before taking questions is this. One of the reasons I wanted to go to Saudi Arabia, and this was my first trip to Saudi Arabia, is because I do know that there is a social transformation happening in that country, and I wanted to see it for myself. It is real. Just a decade ago, there were no movie theaters or concert halls open. Men and women weren't sitting with each other in cafes. Certainly, women were not allowed to walk around in public uncovered. All of those things are happening. There is a legitimate social and cultural transformation happening in Saudi Arabia, and it was I think important for me to see it for myself. That being said, there's no defense for what has also happened in Saudi Arabia in the last 10 years-a massive contraction of political space. There is no room to dissent from the kingdom's policies, and that's unacceptable. MBS told me when I pressed him on this that he needed to eliminate the ability for political speech in order to get his social reforms done. He was essentially saying, "I need to silence the conservative critics of my social reforms in order for them to take hold." I just fundamentally disagree with him. We went through massive social change in the United States between the women's suffrage movements, the civil rights movement, without having to restrict free speech. And it seems to me just an excuse, a cover for what is a political campaign of repression designed to keep himself in power. I think it was important for me to meet with them.

I definitely thought long and hard about whether I should meet with Mohammed bin Salman, given my criticism and given the legitimacy that sometimes comes with meetings with leaders in the United States. But I worry that the Saudis, in particular, are hearing only one view from the United States, and I think it was important for them to hear from my side of the aisle that cares about the corruption and wants there to be more political space for dissidents to operate in Saudi Arabia and throughout the region. I'll stop there, and I'm happy to talk a little bit more about the meetings. Obviously, there are parts of those conversations that I should not reveal. We talked in depth about shuttle diplomacy between the United States and Iran. I talked to Mohammed bin Salman both about the Iranian war and their efforts in Qatar, but I'll try to share as much as I can about those conversations.