In a letter to the department’s Inspector General’s office, ten senior chamber lawmakers — including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — voiced concerns not only over Trump’s acceptance of an unusual gift from a foreign country, but also the military’s potential involvement in the action.
“Public reports raise the troubling prospect that the Administration involved the Defense Department to launder this impermissible gift, so that the Department could provide cover to give the transfer of the plane the appearance of an official gift [and] place the onus on DOD to retrofit the plane at considerable cost to U.S. taxpayers,” the group wrote.
“DOD risks becoming embroiled in a brazen attempt to evade constitutional limitations on the acceptance of personal gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval.”
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Trump and White House officials are prepared to accept a modified 747-8 from Qatar’s royal family — worth roughly $400 million— to be used as the American presidential plane for the rest of Trump’s presidency.
Under the plan, the Air Force would take possession of the 13-year-old plane and modify it to be suitable for presidential use, then transfer the aircraft to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation after he leaves the White House.
Trump on Monday said refusing the offer from the Qatari royal family would be foolish.
“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” he told reporters. “I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”
But Democratic critics charge that the gift runs afoul of numerous federal rules regarding foreign contributions and potential bribes. Several Republican lawmakers also expressed concerns over the arrangement.
“I think it will attract very serious questions, if and when it happens,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Tuesday. “I can assure you there will be plenty of scrutiny of whatever that arrangement might look like.”
In their letter, the Democrats ask for specifics on the cost of retrofitting the aircraft for presidential use, the timeline for that work and “the counterintelligence and security risks of incorporating this aircraft, provided by a foreign government, into the Air Force One fleet.”
They also asked for clarification on the legality of the move, “which would constitute one of the largest foreign gifts ever accepted by a president or the U.S. government.” Justice Department officials appointed by Trump have already said they believe the gift is allowed under their reading of the law.
Signers of the letter included Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I.; Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee ranking member Chris Coons, D-Del.; and four other members of the chamber’s armed services committee.
Plans to add new aircraft to the Air Force One fleet are already underway, but those planes may not be ready until 2027 or later.
The Inspector General’s office did not immediately say if they will open an investigation in response to the Democratic lawmakers’ letter.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.