A whole damn Boeing 747-8 , worth hundred’s of Millions?
Pulled off in Broad Daylight?
This after him making money off peddling cryptocurrency?
The potential gift raises major concerns not only about security but also about corruption and self-dealing. Here we would have a president in the first year of a four-year term accepting a historic and extraordinarily expensive gift from a foreign government that has plenty of interests in his administration’s actions. The plane could seemingly be transferred to Trump’s personal use later on, though Trump said Monday that he wouldn’t use it. Some experts have told The Washington Post that this would transparently violate the Constitution’s “emoluments” clause.
The news also comes on top of increasingly explosive reporting about Trump getting rich off cryptocurrency — another area in which his White House and administration have rather cavalierly disregarded potential conflicts of interest.
“Do you worry that if they give us something like this, they want something in return?” Fox News host Brian Kilmeade asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday about the potential Qatari gift….
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Conflicts of interest have stalked Trump before, but in ways that are more difficult to explain. Trump’s first big “emoluments” issue dealt with wealthy foreigners doing business at his then-D.C.-based hotel. The big one shortly after his first term was a Saudi-government-linked sovereign wealth fund investing $2 billion with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump’s crypto ventures could be his biggest windfall yet, but the vast majority of people don’t understand crypto — and many people’s eyes glaze over at the mere mention of it.
But here we have something very easy to explain: the potential transfer of an extremely valuable gift without the cover of potential legitimate business. And perhaps most politically troublingly for Trump, it would be transferred even as Trump asks Americans to stomach the austerityrequired for his on-again, off-again trade war.
Even for a president who has grown increasingly bold in his disregard for norms, rules and laws, that would be pretty brazen. We’ll see whether the administration decides it’s worth the risk.
Note…
Other President’s make money AFTER they leave office…..
Trump is pimping the office while there….
He don’t care....
And NOBODY seems to be able to stop the ‘steal’…
[Conservertive Laura]Loomer, after watching Trump’s remarks, said, “Look, I understand the reasoning about not wanting to burden the United States taxpayer with $400 million. But it’s going to complicate foreign policy about the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, which was promised and undelivered in the first Trump administration. It’s kind of this elephant in the room as Trump goes to the Middle East.”
Qatar knows how to buy a grifter!
More GOPer’s are coming down AGAINST Trump’s ‘Gift’ Commerical Airliner….
Paul: Qatar jet not good idea, could cloud US ability ‘to judge their human rights record’
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Reed: Trump’s Qatar plane would ‘pose immense counterintelligence risks’
But even some in the GOP are hesitant to back the decision over ethical and national security concerns, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) acknowledging the Boeing delay but not giving his full support.
“I understand his frustration. They’re way behind schedule on delivering the next Air Force One,” Thune told The Hill on Monday. “Whether or not this is the right solution … I don’t know.”
And one of Trump’s closest allies, Laura Loomer, called out the move as a “stain” on the presidency and said she was disappointed that the president would accept this gift….
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Senate GOP weighs safety, legal concerns over Trump Qatar jet gift
Senate Republicans on Monday indicated they have multiple concerns with President Trump potentially being gifted a new luxury jet from Qatar, ranging from safety to legal and ethical worries.
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Trump goes on defense over Qatar jet gift
President Trump defended his decision to accept a luxury Boeing jet from Qatar, calling it “stupid” for him to turn it down amid an influx of criticism from both sides of the aisle over the gift.
“I could be a stupid person and say, ‘Oh no, we don’t want a free plane.’ We give free things out, we’ll take one too. And, it helps us out because … we have 40-year-old aircraft,” he said Monday morning, referring to Air Force One. “So, I think it’s a great gesture from Qatar, I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane,’ but I thought it was a great gesture
Past presidents couldn’t keep gifts of lions or horses. How could Trump accept a jet from Qatar?
…There are multiple major problems with Trump’s plan.
The first problem is legal
If Trump were to accept a luxury jet, it would seem to violate the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which is pretty clear that a president must ask Congress for permission.
Here’s that language from the Constitution:
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
Trump may feel unencumbered by the law
The president has challenged the Constitution in multiple ways since taking office, and in this case, he can look to the gift of additional immunity the Supreme Court granted to presidents at his request when he was facing criminal prosecution last year. He also seems to think that if Qatar gives the plane to the Pentagon, that could offer him some cover.
“If we can get a 747 as a contribution to our Defense Department to use during a couple of years while they’re building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture,” Trump said.
The Supreme Court declined to take an opportunity after Trump’s last term to weigh in on the issue of emoluments. Instead, justices dismissed lawsuits about payments made by foreign governments to the Washington, DC, hotel he owned at the time.
The ethical problems are obvious
“This co-mingling of his personal financial interests and his presidency has created some issues,” said Jessica Tillipman, a professor at George Washington University Law School, during an appearance on CNN’s “The Situation Room.” “There’s a reason why past presidents have either divested those interests or put them in a blind trust, because it creates those concerns that a president may be acting for his own private gain over public interest.”
Beyond the legal questions are the obvious ethical ones, Tillipman said. Whenever Trump interacts with Qatar during his presidency, this gift will be part of the public conversation.
“We know there’s a gift but there’s a long way to go in this Trump presidency to see whether there could be some sort of official act taken,” she said.
Business is booming
Trump’s businesses, led by his son Eric, are actively expanding with an eye to the Middle East during his second term in office. While Trump wants to accept Qatar’s jet, his company is involved in the opening of a Trump-branded golf course in the country. His name will appear on skyscrapers in Saudi Arabia. And the UAE used a crypto system set up by one of Trump’s companies to make a $2 billion deal, according to the New York Times.
Trump’s first major international trip of his second term gets underway in the Middle East this week. One wonders whether other countries will now try to come up with their own ways to impress the US president. If so, the opening bid is a $400 million plane…
More…
Bonus Quote of the Day
“The issue with Donald Trump is, he does not believe in rules and laws and norms. He thinks they’re for suckers. He thinks if you can get a free plane, as he said today, why wouldn’t you do it?”
— David Axelrod, on CNN.
That settles it. Some country should give Trump a lion.
Lion?
How about 1,000 acres and site permit to build?