The Gulf emirate of Qatar offered President Donald Trump’s Boeing 747 for use as an Air Force One on Wednesday, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Regarding using an aircraft donated by a foreign power to be used as the highly sensitive presidential plane, Qatar’s offer for the jet, which is valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, has raised serious constitutional and ethical concerns.
According to a statement from a Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, the Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal laws and regulations.
According to Parnell, who referred to the US Air Force, “The Department of Defense will work to make sure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States.”
In a section known as the Emoluments Clause, the US Constitution forbids government officials from accepting gifts from “any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
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Trump, however, has said it would be “stupid” for the US government to not accept the plane, saying there are no moral concerns with accepting it.
When asked if the oil-rich Gulf state would expect anything in exchange, the 78-year-old billionaire responded, “It’s a great gesture.”
That kind of an offer would never be turned down by me,” I said. I mean, I could be a moron and say, “No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.”
Trump’s use of the aircraft would be prohibited by the leader of the Democratic minority in the US Senate, which was introduced earlier this week.
The Pentagon would be unable to use taxpayer funds to retrofit any aircraft that had previously been owned by a foreign government for use as the presidential plane under Chuck Schumer’s Presidential Airlift Security Act.
Schumer stated in a statement that “Donald Trump has demonstrated time and time again that he will sell out the American people and the presidency if it means putting money into his own pockets.”
There are no guarantees that this plane will be secure, despite the fact that it would require billions of taxpayer dollars to attempt to retrofit and secure it.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Trump supporter, is not required to introduce the bill to the floor of the upper chamber despite the fact that several Republicans have expressed concerns about the proposed gift.
However, Schumer intends to compel a vote by including it as a provisional amendment to spending bills that Republicans will need to pass later in the year.
Source: Channels TV
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