Sen. Chuck Schumer placed a hold on all Department of Justice political nominees after President Trump announced he’s accepting a $400 million Boeing 747 jumbo jet from Qatar.
Here are the details –
Donald Trump is accepting the jet which will be used as Air Force One during his presidency and then be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation after he leaves office.
Reports indicate Attorney General Pam Bondi signed off on the deal, stating it doesn’t violate federal law. So Schumer is placing a hold on all DOJ nominees until he gets an explanation.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.: How is this gift not naked corruption? The attorney general must testify before both the house and senate to explain why gifting donald trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause, which requires congressional approval, and ethics laws.
The emoluments clause prohibits anyone in government from accepting a present from any “King, Prince or foreign state,” without Congressional consent.
According to ABC News, Attorney General Pam Bondi signed off on a plan to get around that. It would not be considered a present to Trump because it would belong to the federal government then his presidential library foundation. She also claims it’s not a bribe because it is not dependent on a formal act.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.: “What is most chilling about this brazen bribe and the national security betrayal is how openly Donald Trump is doing it. How he is lying about this need for this aircraft and the risks involved.”
Schumer’s hold will significantly delay or even stop confirmations at the DOJ, because the Senate would have to go through a time consuming consideration process, rather than using the same time to vote on legislation or other nominees that don’t have a hold.
There are currently seven pending nominations, including Associate Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General for the civil division and Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. There are at least a dozen other positions which don’t yet have a nominee.
Schumer also wants the DOJ’s Foreign Agent Registration Act unit to disclose all activities by Qatari foreign agents inside the US that could benefit the president or the Trump organization.
Republicans largely didn’t think there’s anything wrong with gifting the jet.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-AL: “At the end of the day, they’re trying to be nice with an American made product.”
Although Senator Josh Hawley believes they should build a new Air Force One in America.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo: “I think maybe the thing to do is to say, ‘Hey, we appreciate it, but there’s a lot of things you could help us out with.’ Like stopping coddling Islamic fundamentalist terrorists in their own country, the Qatar as it is, and we, you know, it’s worth it’s worth the investment here in this country to build a big, beautiful jet here in the United States.”
According to ABC News, the aircraft will be transferred to the Trump library by January 2029 and all costs associated with the transfer will be covered by the Air Force.
