A Senate subcommittee chaired by Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal has just launched a formal inquiry.

Thank you to my partner in this effort, Ranking Member Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

The families of 9/11 victims need and deserve accountability, and they are entitled to answers.

I have frequently said how over-classification, excessive secrecy is damaging to the public interest.

the chairman's bill was reported out of the Commerce committee in July, and disclosure is also an essential part of the framework that Senator Hawley and I have advanced.

We do America a disservice if we do not evaluate it accordingly, especially given that censorship and the silencing of dissidents is part of the Saudi business playbook.

These proceedings are not in any way the result of a request from Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia remains a brutal regime, utterly resistant to criticism, devoid of any right of free speech.

There has been a reference here to a number of acronyms, FARA, CFIUS. The requirements of CFIUS apply to national security threats.

The Saudi logo, the Saudi merchandise, the Saudi promotions all fit that faux grassroots strategy.

These proceedings are not in any way the result of a request from Saudi Arabia.

This kind of complicity could not have happened without knowledge at the highest levels of the Saudi government.

Given the terrible human rights record of Saudi, which we have been discussing and as well, of course, MBS himself, which are overseeing these abuses...

At a time when authoritarian regimes are gaining power and people around the world are losing freedom, it is important that we stay vigilant against anyone who wants to protect, promote, or normalize autocracy.

The idea is that when a foreign government, and not just the government, but as we have talked about, if it is an instrumentality of the government, it is operating as an agent of the government, the Kingdom and the Crown Prince benefit…

The Saudi government must take responsibility for its role, and our own government must be transparent about what actually happened.

The human rights situation in Saudi Arabia has dramatically deteriorated.

If it wants to engage with the United States commercially, it must be subject to United States law and oversight.

The loopholes are extraordinary. The lack of transparency is phenomenal. The need for FARA reform right now is immense.

But we also ought to demand transparency so that we can understand the strings that are attached to certain investments, especially those that come directly from authoritarian regimes.

But we also ought to demand transparency so that we can understand the strings that are attached to certain investments, especially those that come directly from authoritarian regimes.

This meeting of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) is called to order.

the PIF and the Saudi government are inextricably intertwined.

the record will reflect that at least two of the witnesses are nodding in approval about greater transparency from our own government.

The human rights situation in Saudi Arabia has dramatically deteriorated.