saudi-arabia foreign oil arms-sales mbs pif lobbying khashoggi
related: Gulf State Money - Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar Mohammed bin Salman Halliburton
Who They Are
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The world’s largest oil exporter, the largest purchaser of U.S. arms, and one of the most aggressive foreign lobbying operations in Washington. Saudi Arabia’s political influence in the United States operates through three channels: (1) direct lobbying through registered foreign agents ($20-30 million annually), (2) arms purchases that create defense industry dependencies ($100+ billion in arms deals, 2017-2023), and (3) sovereign wealth fund investments (the Public Investment Fund, $930 billion AUM) that create commercial relationships with American corporations and investment firms.
Saudi Arabia cannot make campaign contributions under U.S. law, but the Kingdom’s influence operation doesn’t require them. Arms purchases create jobs in key congressional districts (Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing), lobbying firms employ former senior government officials (the revolving door), and PIF investments in American companies create corporate advocates for the Saudi relationship.
What They Want
Continued U.S. arms sales (particularly advanced weapons systems), diplomatic cover for human rights abuses (Khashoggi murder, Yemen war, domestic repression), favorable energy policy (opposition to aggressive climate action that would reduce oil demand), nuclear technology transfer (Saudi civilian nuclear program), and a U.S.-brokered normalization deal with Israel that includes defense guarantees.
What They’ve Gotten
$110 Billion Arms Deal: The Trump administration’s 2017 arms deal with Saudi Arabia — announced during Trump’s first foreign visit — totaled $110 billion in intended sales (with $350 billion over 10 years). The deal included THAAD missile defense systems, munitions, combat ships, and Abrams tanks. These weapons were used in the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing campaign in Yemen — a campaign that killed an estimated 150,000+ people and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Khashoggi Accountability Shield: After the October 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul — an operation directed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman according to U.S. intelligence — the Trump administration resisted congressional efforts to impose consequences. The Saudi lobbying operation mobilized to prevent arms sales suspension and maintain the bilateral relationship. The Biden administration released the intelligence assessment naming MBS but declined to sanction him directly.
Money
Saudi Arabia’s U.S. influence operation illustrates how foreign powers purchase American policy without campaign contributions: $100+ billion in arms purchases create defense industry dependencies in dozens of congressional districts, $20-30 million in annual lobbying employs former senior officials who provide access to current policymakers, and $930 billion in sovereign wealth fund investments create corporate advocates for the Saudi relationship. The arms sales are the critical mechanism: every Raytheon missile, Lockheed fighter jet, and Boeing helicopter sold to Saudi Arabia creates American jobs that make those weapons sales politically untouchable. Congressional opposition to Saudi arms sales — even after the Khashoggi murder — fails because the economic dependencies are distributed across enough districts to prevent a veto-proof majority.
Sources
- FARA: Saudi Arabia foreign agent registrations (Tier 1)
- OpenSecrets: Saudi Arabia foreign lobbying (Tier 1)
- Ballotpedia: Saudi Arabia-US relations (Tier 3)
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