President of the United States Donald Trump expressed his desire to accept a luxury aircraft as a gift from the household of Emir Qatar. He described this gift as a “very good gesture”. According to any American media, the plane Boeing 747-8 worth about $400 million is to be upgraded to the Air Force 1 presidential model and donated to Trump's presidential foundation after he left office. So far, Qatar has not released any authoritative statement.
“I can be a stupid individual and say no”
When asked if Qatar would request something in return, Trump simply replied that he appreciated this “great gesture” from Qatar. He's not the kind of guy to turn down an offer like that. “Well, I could be a fool and say, “No, we don’t want a free, very costly plane.” But I thought it was a wonderful gesture," Trump said before starting his journey to the mediate East.
The Qataris would give USA A free plane, said Trump. Now he could say he'd alternatively pay a billion or 400 million dollars. "Or I could say: Thank you very much." He stressed that Boeing was officially a gift to the U.S. Department of Defense. After his word of office, the plane will enter the presidential library; he will not usage it privately.
The president of the United States will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United arabian Emirates by Thursday. The planned gift may be officially announced during Trump's stay in Qatar. This plan raises legal and ethical doubts. According to ABC, 1 may uncertainty whether the Trump administration has the right to accept specified an costly gift from a abroad partner. However, this plan was examined by various government legal departments and was seemingly accepted.
Constitutional expert: "This is an unprecedented incident".
Constitutional lawyers, however, sound the alarm. "This event is unprecedented," she said. Jessica Levinson , constitutional law expert at Loyola Law School. "We have never tested specified restrictions before".
High attendance: Trump landed at Khalid global Airport in Riyadh
The Constitution forbids national officials from accepting valuables or "delights" from abroad governments without Congress' approval. "This is simply a classical example of what the founders of the country were worried about," he said Richard Painter , prof. of Law at the University of Minnesota and erstwhile head of the White home Ethics Commission in Bush's time. "But I don't think the founders anticipate it to be that bad."
Several incidents in the first and second term
Trump had to fight the legal conflict over polite returns in his first word as he opened the door of his hotel in Washington for lobbyists, businessmen and diplomats. His lawyers argued that the founders did not intend to ban transactions that would constitute an exchange of services specified as hotel rooms for money, but only direct gifts. any ethical lawyers, however, disagreed and it is unclear whether Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and another countries paid the full price for utilizing the hotel or more.
Senators see a clear conflict of interest
Four Democratic organization Senators from the Committee on abroad Affairs — Brian Schatz, Chris Coons, Cory Booker and Chris Murphy — has issued a message stating that Trump's plan creates a clear conflict of interest, raises serious questions about national security, encourages abroad interference and undermines public assurance in the government. "No 1 – even the president – is above the law," they said.
The catalogue price of the fresh Boeing 747-8 (as of 2019) was over $400 million (355 million). According to the American media, the aircraft in question is over 10 years old. Both current presidential aircraft have been in usage since the 1990s.
