Congress Puts Saudi Arabia Under Scrutiny Following Florida Base Shooting

Last week's shooting at a Florida naval base by a member of the Saudi air force -- which left three people dead and eight injured -- has brought about increased congressional scrutiny of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a longtime critic of the Saudi government, took to Twitter to muse that the Trump administration's muted response to the shootings is akin to acting as "PR agents for the Saudis":

“The Saudis have promised full cooperation with the investigation,” White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien told CBS on Sunday. “We’re going to take them at their word.”

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., an ally of the Trump White House but also a persistent critic of the Saudis, argued: "It’s way past time to quit arming and training" the Saudi military.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a White House ally and a lawmaker who generally defends the Saudi relationship, called for Riyadh to be suspended from America's military training program "until we find out what happened here."

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla, who represents the district that includes the naval base where the attack occurred, said the attack has to "inform on our ongoing relationship with Saudi Arabia. That is the message I directly delivered to the Saudi ambassador when she called to deliver her condolensces." He emphasized he wants to see "no interference from the Kingdom" during the course of investigations.

At an event Saturday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper declined to label the shooting an act of terrorism, citing a need for further investigations.

"I think we need to let the investigators of the FBI do its work and tell us, get us the facts and we’ll work out from there," Esper said. U.S. and Saudi authorities are reportedly investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism.

“Our main goal, right now, is to confirm whether [the shooter Mohammed Alshamrani] acted alone, or was he part of a larger network,” FBI special agent Rachel Rojas said.