US President Donald Trump is set to receive a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet from Qatar's ruling family during his visit to the Middle East, which US officials say could be adapted for use as a presidential plane.
Qatari authorities said no final decision had yet been made.
Still, Mr Trump has backed the idea, which he sees as tantamount to the US president receiving an extremely valuable gift from a foreign government, as a smart financial move for the country.
“The fact that the Department of Defense is getting a GIFT, FREE, of a 747 jet to temporarily replace 40 year old Air Force One, in a very open and transparent deal, bothers the corrupt Democrats so much that they insist we pay, BIG, for the jet,” Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post Sunday night. “Anyone can do it!”
Mr Trump intends to use the plane as his presidential air transport until he leaves office in January 2029, at which point ownership will pass to a foundation that will manage his yet-to-be-created presidential library, ABC News reported.
According to ABC, the gift is scheduled to be announced during Trump's visit to Qatar, which also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, marking his first extended overseas trip of his second term.
Before Mr Trump posted about the idea, Qatari spokesman Ali Al-Ansari said that “the potential transfer of the aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under review by the Qatari Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense.”
“However, the matter remains within the competence of the relevant legal departments and a final decision has not yet been made,” the statement said.
At the same time, ABC reported that administration officials, anticipating potential ethical issues, prepared an analysis arguing that accepting the plane would be legal.
The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution prohibits any person holding public office from accepting any present, emolument, office, or title from any “king, prince, or foreign state” without the consent of Congress.
Government ethics expert Kathleen Clark of Washington University School of Law in St. Louis accused Mr. Trump of “seeking to use federal power not to achieve political goals but to accumulate personal wealth.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Trump's “America First” policy slogan.
“Nothing says it like that
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
