President Donald Trump is days away from getting a $400 million “present” from a international nation.
A July 7 communication reviewed by The Submit and signed by Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Protection Affairs Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, confirms that Qatar will give the “donation” to the Division of Protection.
The deal, months within the making, raises authorized, moral and nationwide safety considerations. Whereas the U.S. Structure forbids anybody holding public workplace from accepting items from international governments with out approval from Congress, Republicans have largely shrugged off the deal.
“Can’t beat free,” Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) instructed reporters when requested concerning the supply in Could.
Trump, who has referred to the jet as a “palace within the sky,” predictably feels the identical means.
The moral ramifications are so obvious that even the doc reviewed by The Submit seems to take additional effort to explicitly state that this isn’t a bribe.
“Nothing on this [memorandum of understanding] is, or shall be interpreted or construed as, a suggestion, promise or acceptance of any type of bribery, undue affect, or corrupt apply,” the doc reportedly mentioned.
The jet would turn into the brand new presidential airplane till the top of Trump’s time period earlier than being turned over to Trump’s presidential library basis. Nonetheless, even earlier than it may be used, the U.S. Air Drive will doubtless spend lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} of taxpayer cash on renovating the airplane — a course of that might take years.
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Trump has made clear he’ll settle for “items” from any nation keen to present them. At a White Home assembly in Could, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa jokingly instructed Trump he was “sorry I don’t have a plane to give you.”
“I want you probably did,” Trump responded. “I’d take it. In case your nation supplied the USA Air Drive a airplane, I might take it.”
