Reed: Trump’s Arms Sales to Family Business Partners in UAE Must be Scrutinized

WASHINGTON, DC - Multiple news outlets report that the Trump Administration is using emergency wartime powers to bypass Congress and force over $20 billion in weapons sales to key Gulf States, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has lucrative, direct business ties with the Trump family.

According to the New York Times, the UAE, a U.S. ally that also has close ties with China, is set to receive Chinook helicopters, drones, Patriot missile systems, air-to-air missiles, and advanced missile defense radar, along with upgrades for F-16 fighter jets.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, notes that just before President Trump was inaugurated for a second term, the Trump family signed a $500 million deal with the UAE's Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan - brother to the president of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi - to purchase a secret 49 percent stake in the Trump family's World Liberty Financial crypto startup. A UAE royal, Sheikh Tahnoon is a government official who serves as the country's national security adviser and manages its largest wealth fund. Months after the secretive deal was signed by Eric Trump, the Trump Administration agreed to provide the UAE with access to 500,000 of America's most advanced AI chips per year.

"The UAE is a strategic ally and our nations have a strong and mutually beneficial security partnership and I support U.S. assistance to ensure they can defend themselves. But President Trump has demonstrated serious contempt for Congressional oversight. And given the fact that President Trump's personal family fortune has been bolstered by direct business ties to UAE royals, any so-called emergency arms deal that does not go through the proper vetting channels must be carefully scrutinized," said Reed, noting that the U.S. State Department is required notify the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of proposed arm sales, and allow committee members to review, delay, or raise objections before formal approval is granted. The use of emergency authority to override Congress is legal under the Arms Export Control Act.

Reed also notes the fact that the two lead U.S. negotiators over the war with Iran - Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner - also have financial ties and business interests pending with parties to these arms sales, which raises red flags.

"President Trump has enriched himself while in office but has done the American people a serious disservice by so deeply embedding his personal financial interests and his presidency. And there is no way for the American people to tell whether unaccountable, unelected officials like Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner may be weighing their own financial interests as they make key decisions about U.S. interests. There needs to be transparency and accountability," said Reed.

Witkoff's son, Zach Witkoff, co-founded the crypto firm World Liberty Financial with members of the Trump family.

On February 24, Reed, along with U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), asked the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), who is appointed by President Trump, to comply with the law and reveal who are the beneficial owners of World Liberty Financial and who profits when investor cash is funneled to the firm. To date, the OCC has yet to commit to provide meaningful oversight.

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