Dem Senator Claims Pentagon Refused to Let Him Inspect Key Middle East Base

Chris Murphy

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) claimed Tuesday that the Pentagon has refused to let him inspect an important American military base in Qatar during his trip to the Middle East — while insisting military officials are trying hide the costs of the Iran war.

Murphy is touring the region in a visit that was arranged with the help of US Secretary of State Marco ​Rubio, according to Reuters.

The Democrat said he was attempting to inspect Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. base in the region, but that the Pentagon would not let him enter.

The Department of Defense told Mediaite Murphy’s office was told before the trip “that he would not receive Department of War support to access Al Udeid Air Base, consistent with the Secretary of War’s directive on travel restrictions in the region ordered on March 3, 2026.”

“That decision was communicated in advance by the Office of the Secretary of War for Legislative Affairs. The Department applies the Secretary’s guidance evenly,” the DOD added in its statement.

Murphy insisted the trip revealed a grave bid to conceal the scale of the war’s costs.

“This ​trip confirmed for me that there is an active, unprecedented, unconstitutional effort underway to hide the costs of this war and the implications of this ​war from Congress and the American people,” Murphy told reporters during a stop in Riyadh.

He then claimed the Pentagon also refused to arrange a briefing for him on the status of the war.

“I’ve never encountered anything like this in my time in the Senate and ​it’s part of ​a deliberate ⁠campaign of obfuscation that my Republican colleagues in Congress should demand an end to,” he said.

Murphy also had a two hour meeting Monday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he said in an X post.

He admitted he’d been a “vocal critic” of the country and bin Salman, before adding he thought it was important for people “to be here who disagree with Saudi Arabia’s policies to be honest and candid about those disagreements.”

“We had an honest, provocative conversation,” Murphy said in a video posted to the platform, later adding, “There’s gotta be space for political dialogue and speech here in Saudi Arabia… I think it’s important for the crown prince to hear not just from the Trump administration.”

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