Trump right to accept Qatari jet, Sullivan says
Sen. Dan Sullivan says he’s OK with Donald Trump accepting a lavish flying palace from Qatar, claiming the Trump administration is following all federal laws and regulations.
In a form letter to Alaskans who took issue with the Qatari bribe, Sullivan said he has unidentified “doubts” about accepting gifts from Qatar, which has a history of backing terrorists groups like Hamas, but all of the legal standards for accepting the gift “have been met in this case.”
Sullivan’s form letter provides a history lesson of the Air Force One designation, but fails to mention the U.S. Constitution, which makes the gift to Trump illegal.
The Constitution says that “no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
Sullivan, who is running for reelection, should be challenged on his constitutional failure. To legalize the flying palace, Sullivan should demand a vote of Congress. He won’t.
Rest assured that had a Democratic president been on the receiving end of foreign largesse, Sullivan would be quoting the Constitution.
He will claim, perhaps, that the jet is not a gift to Trump, but to the United States. Other Republicans claim this is similar to getting the Statue of Liberty from France and the Resolute Desk in the White House from England.
But the Statue of Liberty and the Resolute Desk in the White House remain public property of the United States.
Even Sullivan admits that the jet is being laundered through the Department of Defense, which will give it to Trump. The U.S. government may have to spend $1 billion fixing up the “free” jet before it is ready to fly.
“Following the end of President Trump’s second term in 2029, President Trump stated that he will not use the aircraft, and the Department of Defense will send it to Donald Trump’s presidential library,” claims Sullivan.
Trump says lots of things, many of them lies. The idea that he will park one of the most expensive jets in the world is one of them.
In July, Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted against an amendment that would have banned rehabbing the plane for Trump. The amendment failed 14-15.
“I don’t want my ‘no’ vote to be assumed that I’m OK with where we are with this transfer, that I’m OK not knowing the numbers behind it, that I am perhaps OK with the appearances because I have concerns about them. But what I have is the utmost respect and regard for the chairman (Sen. Mitch McConnell) and the vice chair (Sen. Christopher Coons) of this subcommittee that have executed a pretty strong defense bill. And I am going to vote no on this amendment, but that is because I think the imperative in passing this bill overrides any concerns that I may have now about where we are with this, with this transfer of this aircraft. I just wanted that stated for the record,” Murkowski said.
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