Qatar’s offer of jet for Air Force One sparks espionage worries, constitutional concerns
Both Democrats and Republicans criticized the president Donald Trump After announcing the plans of the Ministry of Defense to accept a jumbo plane from the government of Qatar, on the pretext that the gift is full of concerns about espionage and constitutional questions. But as an expert tells Fox, the last anxiety is likely to be exaggerated.
For example, the ally of Trump Ted Cruz, R-TEXAS, said during an interview on Tuesday that the acquisition of the plane raises “major problems in espionage and monitoring,” while Democrats like Senator Bernie Sanders, I cannot spoil somewhat, that he cannot accept a palace of $ 400 million from the royal family.
The reports spread on Sunday morning that the Trump administration is expected to accept a Jumbo plane $ 747-8 from the royal family in Qatar, which raised fears that Trump will be taken personally on the plane and violated the condition of associations in the constitution. ABC News reported that Trump will use aircraft until the end of his term, when they are granted to his presidential library.
Trump and clarification in a social publication in fact later on Sunday confirmed that Ministry of Defense He was scheduled to get the gift, while he was raising the Democrats because of their criticism of the show.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Air Force at Andrews Joint Base in Maryland on January 24. (Mandel NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
So the fact that the Ministry of Defense gets a gift, free of charge, from 747 plane to replace the 40 -year -old Air Force, temporarily, in a very public and transparent deal, so the embrace democrats disturb the extent that they insist on paying us, and the top of the dollar, for the plane, “Trump’s books. “Anyone can do it! Democrats are world -class losers !!! “Maga.”
At the heart of the Democrats concern about this issue, the birth clause In the constitutionAnd that states: “The United States may not give the title of nobles: No one holds any profit office or confidence according to them, he must accept, without the approval of Congress, that is, present, office, office, or title of any kind, from any king, prince or foreign state.”
“Trump literally tries to fly on a plane from a foreign government while working as a president. This is a violation of the constitution. The requirements were not a proposal. It is the law.” He said Monday morning After advertising.
Hans von Spacovsky, legal colleagues at the Edwin Messi III Center for the Heritage Foundation for Legal and Judicial Studies, told the Fox News Digital on Wednesday that it is doubtful whether the loaded item applies even to the excitement currency, as the constitution usually stipulates when the item specifically affects the president and includes the title, like it in the proof period.
Boeing has faced production problems that offer the next generation of the Air Force One fleet on time. (Getty Images)
“The item was specifically included due to fears of the founders at the Constitutional Conference on Corruption from foreign diplomats, especially by the French government. It is doubtful that the bonuses clause is in order to apply to the president in order to apply to the president to apply to“ to explain. ”Von Spacovsky explained that the United States’s“ officers ”included the president, so there will be no need to be inserted separately.”
He added that the president is the individual “who appoints” officers “who are subject to the emolumnts condition.”
“Antonin Scalia, when he worked in the Ministry of Justice, certainly agreed since he issued an opinion in 1974, noting that when the constitution refers to an” officer “, he always indicates a person other than the president or vice president.
Jet offer comes after Trump was exposed to Boeing due to expensive government deals to build a new air force. Even before his first administration, Trump posted on social media in December 2016 that “Boeing’s costs are out of control, more than $ 4 billion” to build the two planes.
In 2018, Trump granted a fixed price agreement worth $ 3.9 billion to manufacture two new aircraft. However, the construction of the aircraft is not expected to be completed until 2029.
The Qatari government offers a Boeing 747-8 plane, such as those that appear here. (Getty Images)
“We are very disappointed because it takes a long time to build a new air force,” Trump said at a press conference on drug prices on Monday morning. “As you know, we have one 40 -year -old air force. If you look at that, compared to the new equivalent plane, as you know, a place at that time, it is not even the same ball game.”
Trump explains the ownership of aircraft in defense of Qatar’s gift
“When I first entered, I signed a request to obtain the new Air Force One.” “It took the Obama administration, and they originally agreed. The price has decreased somewhat. After that, when the elections did not succeed in the way they should be, it was not done a lot of work on the plane because many people did not know that they had provided changes. It was very stupid, and it ended.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitte has caused concern about the Qatari royal family that donated a Boeing Jumbo plane to the US Department of Defense, on the pretext of Monday, there will be no pro -professional arrangement and that the donation is subject to legal review to ensure full compliance with the law.
Von Spacovsky said that if the plane is actually a government gift to a government-is not a personal gift for the president-it is possible that the Trump administration is clearly accepting the gift.
He said: “If this gift is considered a gift to the United States government, there is no legal problem that must be taken into account, due to the lack of a constitutional or legal problem in such a gift. If this is a personal gift for the president, the Ministry of Justice will affect the constitutional issue that it raised – whether the phrase Emolumes applies even to the president.”
Cherry flowers in Washington, DC (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
Von Spacovsky said that such a gift from the government to the government “is not different from thousands of talented cherry trees by the United States by the Japanese government” in 1912, which still attracts more than a million tourists to Washington, DC, every spring.
The president’s allies, such as Cruz, said that spy fears are largely weighing the planned deal, noting Qatar’s relations with terrorist groups.
“I am not a fan of Qatar. I think they have a really disturbing pattern of financing the theocratic madmen who want to kill us, and the financing of Hamas And Hezbollah. “This is a real problem,” Cruz said during an interview on Tuesday.
“I also think that the plane is raising major problems with espionage and monitoring,” he added. “We’ll see how this problem appears, but certainly I have concerns.”
Senator Ted Cruz warned of his concerns about potential espionage if the Ministry of Defense accepts a Qattari plane. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Democrats also warned, such as Sens. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Dick Durbin from Illinois that the plane will come with security issues. Red, for example, said in a statement that the use of the plane as Air Force One “will pose tremendous risks by giving a foreign nation access to sensitive systems and communications.”
While Democrats and some Republicans criticized Trump for this step, other Republican lawmakers said they are dedicated to legislative issues and are not shaved in the plane case.
“I have no interest in that,” Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La, previously told Fox News Digital. “I’m sorry to be out of the episode on that. I was just thinking about Medicaid and what the house is sending.”
Qatar Trump offers a jumbo plane to serve as an air force
Senator Johnny ErnestAnd another Trump ally, R-LOWA, said that she does not know enough about the deal to comment on when clicking on it by Fox News Digital. Sens said. Susan Collins from Min, Dan Sullivan from Alaska and Eric Schmidt from Missouri that they do not know the details of the plane.
Amir Sheikh Tarim bin Hamad Al Thani welcomes President Donald Trump in the Emiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Trump is currently in the midst of a four -day trip to the Middle East, including the visit of Qatar on Wednesday, where dozens of camels were met, as well as Tesla Cybletructs In a clear reference to the official of the government efficiency department and CEO of Tesla Elus Musk.
Click here to get the Fox News app
The plane is not expected to be presented to the president and Trump will not accept it during his flight abroad.
“Boeing 747 is granted to the United States Air Force/Ministry of Defense, not mine!” Trump posted to him The truth is social account While in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. “It is a gift from a nation, Qatar, which we have successfully defended for many years. Our government will use it as temporary folding forces, until the new Bings arrive, which has been very late in delivery.”
