WASHINGTON--The Trump administration and the U.S. defense industry are scrambling to save the few actual deals in the much-touted $110 billion arms package for Saudi Arabia as concerns rise about the role of the Kingdom's leadership over the death of a prominent critic.
President Donald Trump has hedged his criticism of Saudi leaders over the disappearance and death of U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting he does not want to imperil a "tremendous order" of $110 billion of weapons he says will support 500,000 U.S. jobs - figures that experts say are highly exaggerated.
Khashoggi's killing in the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2 has caused global outrage and raised questions about the possible role of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia who controls the kingdom's security services. Riyadh has blamed a "rogue operation" and said the crown prince had no knowledge of the killing.
Working behind the scenes in Washington, a defense industry group has circulated talking points to industry executives, focusing on the importance of arms sales to U.S. allies. Companies hope to preserve the deals on the Saudi list with near-term delivery dates in 2019 and 2020, ideally firming up the soft commitments made during Trump's trip in May 2017.
"Contingency Points On Defense Sales to Saudi Arabia" were emailed to defense contractors by the Aerospace Industry Association (AIA) in recent days, instructing executives to explain that stopping arms sales could reduce the U.S. ability to influence foreign governments. Talking points help executives promote their point of view when speaking with their own staff, suppliers, the media, government officials and elected officials.
The AIA email says the death of Khashoggi "sparked an important conversation about the United States' relationship with Saudi Arabia," and details two short responses to whether industry communicated with U.S. government about Khashoggi and the scale of arms sales to Saudi Arabia last year before a lengthy response to the "jobs question."
Yet the answer, laid out in four bullet points, does not mention the numbers Trump has spoken about or any other estimates of possible job gains, instead touching on "economic impact" and explaining how weapons sales strengthen political-military relationships. "When we sell American products to allies and partners, we can ensure our adversaries aren't able to supplant our political, military or economic ties," the document says.
AIA spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said she wouldn't comment on the details of the email sent to their members, adding they do not tell their members what to say on any given issue. AIA's executive committee includes the chief executives of the top five U.S. defense contractors Lockheed Martin Corp, Northrop Grumman Corp, Boeing Co, Raytheon Co and General Dynamics Corp.
Defense contractors have a lot to worry about. Republican Senator Bob Corker, who as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee can block foreign military arms sales, told reporters at the U.S. Capitol that a defense contractor had come to see him at his office, and he had warned that – even before Khashoggi's death - it would not be a good time to try to push a major defense deal through Congress.
Speaking of Khashoggi's death Corker said: "I know that Congress will not let this idly go by. This is something that enrages people, as it should."
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill in the House of Representatives on Wednesday that would stop most U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response to Khashoggi's death.
