Top US Senate Democrat to block Trump DOJ nominees over Qatar airplane
WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday vowed to block all of President Donald Trump's nominees to the Justice Department until the agency reports what it knows about Qatar's offer to give Trump's administration a $400 million airplane.
Trump said on Monday that it would be "stupid" for him to refuse Qatar's offer of the Boeing 747-8 airplane, which would be used as U.S. "Air Force One," the jet American presidents use to fly around the globe.
The aircraft eventually would be donated to Trump's presidential library.
Schumer, referring to reports that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had signed off on the deal for the plane, called it "a blatantly inept decision."
"The attorney general must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause (of the U.S. Constitution), which requires congressional approval," he said in a speech to the Senate.
The Defense Department is already in the process of procuring a replacement for the current, aging Air Force One, with delivery by Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab expected within a couple years.
Schumer said he wants answers to whether the Qatari government will pay for modifications of the aircraft needed to protect the president, secure communications and provide special configurations for what is in practice an airborne Oval Office workspace.
If the U.S. government would have to bear those costs, Schumer said, "why are American taxpayers being asked to spend hundreds of millions of dollars or more on a plane that will only be used for year or two?"
A White House spokesperson on Monday said details of the gift were still being arranged.
Outside ethics experts have listed a range of Trump activities that could point to the president using his office to enrich himself or his family. Schumer specifically mentioned a $TRUMP meme coin, plans for a new Trump hotel in Dubai and a new golf course in Qatar.
Currently, three Trump Justice Department nominees are before the Senate: an assistant attorney general for Maryland and two in Virginia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
6 minutes ago
- BBC News
World Business Report Disney and Universal sue AI company Midjourney
Disney and Universal are suing AI photo generation company Midjourney alleging its popular image generator had become a "bottomless pit of plagiarism". Rahul Tandon finds out how likely the lawsuit is to be successful. Also, can we expect peace between the US and China in their crucial trade war as both sides say they have agreed on a "framework" for a deal? And we hear how tensions between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk might be affecting investors. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.
The Guardian
11 minutes ago
- The Guardian
RFK Jr announces new panel of vaccine advisers after firing entire previous team
Robert Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, named new members to serve on a key panel of vaccine advisers on Wednesday after abruptly firing all 17 sitting members of the independent panel of experts, according to a post on X. The eight new members of the advisory committee for immunization practices are: Joseph R Hibbeln, Martin Kulldorff, Retsef Levi, Robert W Malone, Cody Meissner, James Pagano, Vicky Pebsworth and Michael A Ross. 'All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense,' Kennedy said in a post on X. The panel is part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Kennedy said the new members are committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has alleged that the prior panel members, many of whom were appointed by former President Joe Biden, had conflicts of interest, without providing evidence of specific members' conflicts, and said the move was necessary 'to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science'. Numerous physician groups have expressed concern and suspicion over Kennedy's unprecedented removal of all the panel's prior members. The American Medical Association, the nation's largest physician group, has called for a Senate investigation into their dismissal, and sent Kennedy a letter calling for an immediate reversal of the changes.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Fort Bragg soldiers behind Trump during speech were screened for loyalty and appearance, report says: ‘No fat soldiers'
Soldiers appearing near President Donald Trump at a Tuesday speech at Fort Bragg were reportedly screened for their partisan politics and physical appearance. Ahead of Trump's visit to the North Carolina base, service members were asked to alert superiors if they had political differences with Trump so they could be removed, reports, citing internal 82nd Airborne Division communications. "If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don't want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out," one note to troops obtained by the outlet said. Another allegedly focused on the troops' physical appearance, bluntly commanding, 'No fat soldiers.' "This has been a bad week for the Army for anyone who cares about us being a neutral institution," a commander at Fort Bragg told the outlet. "This was shameful. I don't expect anything to come out of it, but I hope maybe we can learn from it long term." The Independent has contacted the 82nd Airborne Division for comment. During Trump's visit, a vendor was also reportedly allowed to sell campaign-style Make America Great Again merchandise to troops, and the crowd of soldiers booed and cheered at Trump's partisan speech, all of which broke with the military's tradition and regulations around remaining non-political. "Believe me, no one needs to be encouraged to boo the media," Sean Parnell, a top Pentagon spokesperson, said in response to the reporting. "Look no further than this query, which is nothing more than a disgraceful attempt to ruin the lives of young soldiers." The Tuesday speech in question saw Trump lash out at Democratic opponents like California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, baselessly accusing them of paying L.A. protesters and backing 'troublemakers, agitators and insurrectionists.' The president also defended his decision to send federalized California National Guard troops into the Los Angeles crisis over the objections of state and local leaders. 'Generations of Army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness here at home, like is happening in California,' Trump said. 'As Commander in Chief, I will not let that happen. It's never going to happen.' Some criticized the event, arguing Trump was breaking longstanding political norms around respecting the military's independence. 'No president in modern history has done more to put the military in the middle of political and cultural crossfire than Donald Trump,' one columnist wrote in The New York Times. The criticisms come as Trump has pushed the boundaries of military norms in response to the Los Angeles protests by federalizing state National Guard troops and sending Marines to join in with the local police response to the civil unrest, coming perilously close to using the military for domestic law enforcement. The president has also vowed to use force on those who protest a Saturday parade in Washington for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army's founding that coincides with Trump's birthday. Other presidents have been accused of using appearances alongside the military for political points, including Joe Biden, who was criticized for a 2022 anti-Trump speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia that featured Marines in dress uniforms in the background.
