Trump’s new Air Force One? Pentagon accepts Qatar’s luxurious jet present amid uproar

The Pentagon has confirmed it has accepted a luxurious Boeing 747 from Qatar, setting it on a path to turn out to be the subsequent Air Force One, regardless of a wave of constitutional considerations and bipartisan criticism in Congress.

The plane, described as a “palace in the sky,” was supplied throughout President Donald Trump’s current Middle East go to and has been defended by Trump as a cost-saving measure for taxpayers.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated the Department of Defense “will work to ensure proper security measures” are in place to organize the plane for presidential use. “The plane was accepted by all federal rules and regulations,” Parnell added.

Trump, who introduced the present throughout his journey, posted on his social media platform that the jet was a “free” different to the delayed Boeing alternative. “Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE,” he wrote.

However, the choice has sparked backlash, notably from Democrats and a few Republicans, who argue the transfer could violate the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which bars US officers from accepting items from international governments, information company Associated Press reported.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., blasted the transfer throughout a Senate listening to Tuesday, calling it a “dangerous course of action.” She warned that removed from saving cash, “this unconstitutional action will not only cost our nation its dignity, but it will force taxpayers to waste over $1 billion to overhaul this particular aircraft when we currently have not one, but two fully operational and competent Air Force One aircraft.”

During the identical listening to, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink acknowledged that “significant” retrofitting could be wanted to deliver the plane as much as presidential safety requirements.

Addressing questions within the Oval Office whereas assembly with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump defended the present as patriotic. “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet,” he stated, showing pissed off. “It was given not to me, but to the United States Air Force so that they could help us out.”

Ramaphosa, caught within the diplomatic awkwardness, joked, “I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you,” to which Trump replied, “If your country were offering the United States Air Force a plane, I would take it.”

(With inputs from Associated Press)

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