Democrats are planning to put as much scrutiny as they can on President Trump’s plan to accept the gift of a plane from Qatar to serve as Air Force One, arguing that the ethical and national security lapses in accepting the jet will resonate with the public.
They also want to cast the Department of Justice under Trump as no longer standing for U.S. values, saying that under Attorney General Pam Bondi it has instead been transformed into a legal entity solely set up to protect the president.
That effort began in earnest on Tuesday as multiple Democrats took to the floor to highlight what they argue isn’t just the blurring of the lines between a public act and personal gain, but total erasure of them.
Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), who have been among the leading voices in opposition, rolled out a resolution condemning “any acceptance of Presidential aircraft, or any other substantial gift, from a foreign government.” The aircraft is valued at roughly $400 million.
“It really should go without saying, but no president should be accepting a $400 million gift from a foreign country,” Schatz said on the floor Tuesday afternoon. “It is gross, it is reckless, it is corrupt and the outrage and the condemnation, especially on the Republican side, should be universal. There is no excuse or justification for this. It is wrong, and that is the end of the story.”
“This is the most blatant, obvious, ridiculous, gross corruption that I’ve ever seen in my entire life. By dollar amount, by symbolism, by violating Constitutional and statutory law,” he continued. “You don’t have to be … a lawyer. You don’t have to be all fancy pants to understand how ridiculous it is that a foreign government is going to say, ‘Hey we’ll take care of Air Force One for you.’”
Schatz attempted to pass the resolution via unanimous consent after the remarks, but Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) blocked that request. Tuberville argued that Democrats are “losing their minds” over a still-unfinished deal.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) followed up immediately with an attempt to pass a resolution of his own that would authorize a Senate-led lawsuit to enforce the Emoluments clause. The clause prohibits lawmakers from accepting gifts from foreign countries without approval from Congress.
Tuberville blocked that effort as well.
But Democrats are not deterred and are plotting other moves in the coming weeks, with members citing the anger they are hearing from constituents and the uneasiness they sense from their GOP colleagues over Trump’s potential acceptance of the gift.
“It is extreme,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told The Hill about the level of anger on the Democratic side. “It feeds a corruption narrative about this administration and it feeds a second narrative: Trump gets a gift of a plane at the same time he’s telling little kids they have to carve their Christmas gifts down?”
“The anger is very, very palpable,” he continued.
Kaine said he plans to sign onto a privileged motion to challenge security assistance and weapons transfers to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which Trump is set to roll out in each country as part of his Middle East trip in the coming days.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has vowed to force votes aimed at blocking those arms sales, which he seems as attempts to curry favor with the Trump administration.
“I expect in the next couple of weeks, we’re going to have more of these corrupt deals coming from the president that will add to the fury and deep disappointment that a lot of us are feeling over how the office of the president has been corrupted,” Blumenthal said. “It will be seen in the context of the crypto corruption, the real estate deals that will potentially be detailed during the president’s trip and other misuses of the presidency.”
In addition, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced on Tuesday that he is placing a hold on all political nominees for the Justice Department, a move that represents a first by him during his tenure atop the conference
On top of the hold, the Democratic leader pressed the Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) unit to “disclose all activities by Qatari foreign agents inside the U.S. that could benefit” from the president or his business interests.
He also laid out a number of other questions, including the state of readiness of the jet, numerous safety considerations that he and some Republicans have raised, what it means for the contract between the U.S. government and Boeing and who in DOJ signed off on allowing such a deal to move forward and pass legal muster.
“This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat,” Schumer said in his Tuesday floor remarks. “Until the American people learn the truth about this deal, I will do my part to block the galling and truly breathtaking politicization at the Department of Justice.”
“[Attorney General Pam Bondi] must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause — which requires congressional approval — or any other ethics laws,” Schumer added.
The hold could affect dozens of nominees ultimately, but few in the immediate term.
Very few Republicans outside of Tuberville have given Trump full-throated support for the move and have been tepid in their reactions, even though they understand his frustration with Boeing’s lengthy delay and budget overruns that have held back two new aircrafts from being completed.
Multiple members signaled concerns including on the security and potential espionage side, but others said they are worried about the appearance of a quid pro quo and what the expectations will be on the Qatari’s side moving forward if this deal is complete.
“What’s their expectation with the contribution? My sense is people want to support Donald Trump around the world because he’s engaged with them. I don’t know that that’s a bad thing as long as there’s no quid pro quo attached to it, or an expectation that you’re going to get preferential treatment of some sort,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). He added that some gifts have been a positive for the U.S.
“We have a Statue of Liberty from France for crying out loud,” he added.
But what Democrats are certain of is that if the shoe was on the other foot, Republicans would be apoplectic at such a deal.
“They’d be shooting the plane down before it made it to the ground,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). “And rightly so.”