Intel: How Trump administration is using loophole to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came under fire while testifying on Capitol Hill today over the Donald Trump administration’s transfer of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. The Energy Department, lawmakers revealed, has issued at least six authorizations for Saudi Arabia under Section 810 of the Atomic Energy Act, which allows US companies to provide nuclear technology or technical assistance to foreign countries.

The Energy Department has refused to disclose to lawmakers which companies have received the authorizations and what technology they may have transferred to Riyadh. In an email to Congress seen by Al-Monitor, an Energy Department official noted that each company has requested that the Trump administration not publicly release the documentation.

“We do inform a company that they have the right to request their authorization be withheld from public release if the nature of the authorization could cause them competitive harm or potentially provide insight into their proprietary information,” the official wrote. “This is not unexpected given that [Saudi Arabia] is a new market that US companies are exploring.”

A House aide told Al-Monitor that while the Barack Obama administration also issued 810 authorizations for the Saudis, those were publicly disclosed.