Murphy Says Pentagon Blocked Qatar Base Visit

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said the Pentagon denied his request to visit Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and declined to arrange a briefing on the war, alleging the restrictions were intended to keep Congress and the public from learning about the conflict’s costs. A senior Pentagon official, however, said Murphy’s office had been told before his Gulf trip that the department would not support base access under travel guidance issued in March. Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the denial during his visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after a stop in Qatar. He said he had not previously been blocked from visiting military facilities during his time in Congress and argued that the decision was part of an effort to conceal the war’s effects. His claim about the Pentagon’s motive has not been independently established in the information available. The senior Pentagon official told Reuters that Murphy’s office was notified in advance that the department would not support access to the base. The official cited a March 3 directive restricting travel to the area and said the guidance was applied evenly.