5 months ago
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President Donald Trump is days away from getting a $400 million “gift” from a foreign nation.
The U.S. government is expected to finalize an agreement with Qatar next week to receive a Boeing 747 aircraft to be used as Air Force One, The Washington Post reported Friday.
A July 7 communication reviewed by The Post and signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, confirms that Qatar will give the “donation” to the Department of Defense.
The deal, months in the making, raises legal, ethical and national security concerns. While the U.S. Constitution forbids anyone holding public office from accepting gifts from foreign governments without approval from Congress, Republicans have largely shrugged off the deal.
“Can’t beat free,” Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) told reporters when asked about the offer in May.
Trump, who has referred to the jet as a “palace in the sky,” predictably feels the same way.
“Why wouldn’t I accept a free gift?” Trump asked Fox News’ Sean Hannity in May while aboard the current Air Force One.
The ethical ramifications are so apparent that even the document reviewed by The Post appears to take extra effort to explicitly state that this isn’t a bribe.
“Nothing in this [memorandum of understanding] is, or shall be interpreted or construed as, an offer, promise or acceptance of any form of bribery, undue influence, or corrupt practice,” the document reportedly said.
The jet would become the new presidential plane until the end of Trump’s term before being turned over to Trump’s presidential library foundation. However, even before it can be used, the U.S. Air Force will likely spend hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on renovating the plane — a process that could take years.
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Trump has made clear he’ll accept “gifts” from any nation willing to give them. At a White House meeting in May, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa jokingly told Trump he was “sorry I don’t have a plane to give you.”
“I wish you did,” Trump responded. “I’d take it. If your country offered the United States Air Force a plane, I would take it.”
English (US) ·