Trump could be using arms sales in the Middle East for quid pro quo post-presidency: columnist

On Monday, writing for The Washington Post, columnist Brian Klaas tore into outgoing President Donald Trump for a final round of foreign military sales in the Middle East that function as a "parting gift to dictators" — and suggested he could even be using them to set up a private quid pro quo down the road in his post-presidency.

"All three regimes have abysmal human rights records," wrote Klaas. "Saudi Arabia has beheaded dissidents, subjugated women and detained female activists who have pushed for reforms, and murdered and dismembered Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The United Arab Emirates is home to torture, arbitrary detention and forced disappearances. Egypt's dictatorship has carried out extrajudicial killings and has tortured activists."

"Given past behavior, we know how these weapons will likely be used," warned Klaas. "Despots will use them to help facilitate war crimes in places such as Yemen and the Sinai Peninsula while maintaining an iron grip over their own populations — all aided and abetted by the U.S. government."

And even worse, Klaas argued, Trump himself could be using these sales to call in a personal favor from these countries in his post-presidency. "Once Trump leaves the White House, odds are good that he will cash in," he wrote. "Seen in that light, the recently approved arms sales and military technology transfers are even more worrying. Are they just the beginning of a quid pro quo?"

All of this is occurring as President-elect Joe Biden alleges the Pentagon is obstructing him from getting all of the national security information he requires for the transition — something administration officials deny.

"For the past four years, Trump has painted the image of a United States that consistently sides with tyrants," concluded Klaas. "Biden now has an opportunity to reverse Trump's catastrophic foreign policy. He should take it."

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