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Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats heap scrutiny on Trump jet gift: ‘It is gross, it is reckless, it is corrupt'
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 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 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, arguing 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 constitutional clause prohibits lawmakers from accepting gifts from foreign countries without approval from Congress. Tuberville blocked that effort as well. But Democrats are not deterred, 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 sees 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 Tuesday that he is placing a hold on all political nominees for the Justice Department, the first such move 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 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 he and some Republicans have raised, what it means for the contract between the U.S. government and Boeing and who in the Justice Department 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.' '[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 instead 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 aircraft from being completed as part of a contract to replace Air Force One. Multiple members signaled concerns, including on the security and potential espionage side, while others said they are worried about the appearance of a quid pro quo and what the expectations will be on Qatar's 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,' Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said, adding 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,' Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said. 'And rightly so.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Democrats heap scrutiny on Trump jet gift: ‘It is gross, it is reckless, it is corrupt'
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.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South Carolina House won't try to remove Treasurer Curtis Lofits from office this year
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) — An effort to oust Republican state Treasurer Curtis Loftis from office has been put on hold in the South Carolina House with just days to go in the session. House Speaker Murrell Smith (R-Sumter) said this week that the lower chamber will not take up a Senate-led resolution to remove Loftis before the session ends on May 8. 'The priority of the House for the remaining five days of session will be passing legislation,' Smith said in a statement to News 2. The announcement comes days after senators voted 33-8 to remove Loftis for 'willful neglect' over his role in a $1.8 billion accounting error. A two-thirds vote in the House is also required to remove him. A Senate panel called for Loftis's removal in March after a private forensic audit determined much of the 'mystery' money never existed. The audit found that $1.6 billion was the result of accounting errors during a bank conversion process that began in the mid-2010s, and the remaining $200 million was cash that belonged to the General Fund. The error came to light after Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom resigned in March 2023 over a different accounting mistake, and his replacement reported the mystery account. The revelation set off a flurry of hearings in which lawmakers grilled Loftis and other agency leaders about how it happened. It also opened the state up to scrutiny by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, threatening the state's credit rating. South Carolina bill aims to limit offensive content in schools In a lengthy April 21 hearing, Senators Larry Grooms (R-Berkeley) and Stephen Goldfinch (R-Georgetown) asserted that Loftis knew about the problem well before it was reported to the General Assembly and made efforts to conceal his office's involvement. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Grooms urged his House colleagues to take up the resolution, pointing to the evidence presented in several subcommittee reports. 'Far be it from a senator to tell a House member what to do, but the hard work has already been done,' he said. 'All the information they need is right there.' Loftis maintained that while his staff may have known about the mistake, he did not. 'I am grateful for the House leadership's decision today to choose the people's business over political theatre,' Loftis said in an April 29 statement. 'I feel sure that South Carolinians are thankful that they are the first priority, and political games are not.' The resolution is currently sitting in the House Ways and Means Committee. Rep. Heather Bauer (D-Richland), who watched the Senate hearing, argued Loftis should be held accountable. 'He should be held responsible,' Bauer told WSPA. 'I have been raising this red flag for over a year now, and my colleagues in the House have failed to act on it. So I will continue to do so until he is held accountable.' Possibly complicating matters is the fact that Loftis, who won with nearly 80 percent of the vote in 2022, is seeking reelection next year. Defense attorneys pointed to the treasurer's overwhelming popularity, suggesting that the Senate was trying to overturn the will of voters. 'I am ready to turn my focus back to doing the people's work – to stabilize our state's financial system and put this unfortunate chapter of fighting baseless claims by a few politically-motivated senators behind us,' Loftis said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SC Supreme Court declines to halt proceedings for state treasurer's removal
South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis pictured Monday, April 14, 2025, at the Greenville County GOP convention in Greenville. The South Carolina Supreme Court will not stop efforts to remove state Loftis from office. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — The South Carolina Supreme Court will not stop efforts to remove state Treasurer Curtis Loftis from office. 'This matter is not yet ripe for the court's consideration,' the justices wrote in a joint opinion Thursday, throwing out the treasurer's lawsuit that sought to halt the so-called 'removal on address' process. That means senators can continue with proceedings as scheduled Monday, when they'll weigh whether Loftis 'willfully neglected his duties' for his role in a $1.8 billion accounting error that went unreported for nearly a decade. For more than a year, Loftis has maintained he did nothing wrong and compared the Senate-led investigation to a political 'witch hunt.' Loftis said he's prepared to make his case. 'We know this process will be more political theatrics than the formal trial one would expect to overturn a statewide election,' he said in a statement. 'We stand ready to show the citizens of South Carolina that the State Treasurer's Office has faithfully fulfilled our statutory duties to provide core financial management services to state government. I certainly hope that the senators will agree with us once all the information is shared.' South Carolina's accounting problems, which involved almost no actual money, stem from the changeover from the state's legacy accounting system to a new one. During the process, a series of electronic ledger entries made it appear the state had $1.8 billion sitting untouched in a fund with no record of where it was supposed to go. The state's financial officials never alerted the General Assembly to the issue. A forensic accounting firm hired by the state ultimately found staff had made the entries in error and all but $200 million of the money was never real. Facing his own 'removal on address,' former Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom — the state's chief accountant for 20 years — resigned in 2023 over a separate but related accounting blunder. And former State Auditor George Kennedy resigned in January. But Loftis has refused to step down and re-affirmed to reporters that no matter what happens Monday, he will be running for re-election in 2026 even if he has to go deep into his own pockets to fund a campaign. As an elected official, Loftis can't be fired. But the Legislature can remove him using an obscure constitutional measure, which has a lower bar than impeachment and applies when an official commits willful neglect of duty rather than a serious crime. Under the process, the governor must remove an executive officer from office if two-thirds of both chambers of the Legislature vote to remove him. While the Senate has invoked the procedure, it's unclear what the House will do — if anything. Only Democrat Rep. Heather Bauer of Columbia has introduced legislation calling on the House to start impeachment proceedings. 'I don't believe the Senate thinks they can actually get me out of office,' Loftis told the SC Daily Gazette. 'They just want to make my life miserable so I leave.' In his statement, Loftis also noted his court case 'was not dismissed on the merits.' Rather, the justices, citing past case law, declined to declare the process unconstitutional because Loftis had yet to go through the removal proceedings. The court dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning the treasurer could file again at a later date. Order
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
With House Republicans stuck, Senate pushes ahead with its plan to fund Trump's agenda
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said he wants to plow forward next week on a Senate-led funding package that bundles together border security and defense spending as the House continues to struggle on a path to advance President Donald Trump's agenda. House and Senate Republicans have been at odds for several months over whether to attempt to pass many of Trump's agenda items in one sweeping package or in two separate, smaller packages. Republicans hope to use a fast-track budget tool called reconciliation that would allow them to pass major budget-related measures without any Democratic support. While plans in the House to begin work on a proposal stalled this week, Graham seems to have grown impatient, telling senators Wednesday that the Senate will take the reins and begin work to advance its own package next week. Graham briefed senators on the package during a closed-door lunch on Wednesday. MORE: Conflicting accounts on congressional Republicans' approach to Trump's agenda Graham told reporters following the closed-door meeting that his proposal is a $300 billion budget resolution over the course of four years with $150 billion going to border security and defense spending. Asked why he was attempting to bypass the work his Republican colleagues in the House have been working on, Graham said it was because he didn't believe they had a proposal that would be able to pass. House Republicans have still not reached a clear consensus on the contours of their budget plan. Speaker Mike Johnson has been pushing for what he calls 'one, big beautiful bill.' But Graham said, 'I've always believed that one big, beautiful bill is too complicated. What unites Republicans, for sure, is border security and more money for the military. It's important we put points on the board … So I think it would be a real mistake for the Republican Congress not to give the Republican administration the money they need to execute the plan, and the only way to get that money is through reconciliation.' Johnson reacted to the news from Graham, saying, 'He has to understand the reality of the House. It's a very different chamber with very different dynamics and the House needs to lead this if we are going to have success.' Johnson said he plans to speak directly with Graham. 'We are very comfortable about where we are. We feel very optimistic. We are getting there. And we are going to find an equilibrium point and get this done. Stay tuned,' Johnson said. House Republicans emerged from their closed-door conference meeting Wednesday with no clear consensus on advancing Trump's agenda. MORE: Trump second term live updates Majority Leader Steve Scalise acknowledged leaders are still meeting with members to come to an agreement on a budget agreement. Leaders aimed to have a blueprint completed by the end of their retreat at Trump's club in Doral, Florida, two weeks ago, but lawmakers remain far apart. Trump will hold a private dinner for Republican senators at his Mar-A-Lago club on Friday. 'I think we're stuck in the mud,' Florida Rep. Byron Donalds said. 'It is a paralysis of analysis, and I think at this point we need to just make a clear decision.' Donalds, who said he supports a two-bill strategy, stood up in the meeting and called on GOP leadership to make a play call on reconciliation and stop stalling, according to sources. 'I agree with a lot of people in the Senate,' Donalds added. Texas Rep. Chip Roy said, 'We're continuing to have the conversation we need to have and figuring out between Budget and Ways and Means [committees] what we need to do on tax policy and spending,' on-camera. Roy said he still supports the two-bill strategy but acknowledged, 'We are where we are.' 'The reason I wanted two bills is to bank a win, get it done and move quickly,' he added. South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman said he thinks spending cuts should be more than $1 trillion. 'I think the good news is there's a sense of urgency that was put on leadership today, and I think the president will be getting involved … sooner rather than later,' he said. But, he said, 'As long as we delay in getting something, they [Senate] have had a right to.' Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Barr said he supports one bill, the plan endorsed by Johnson, saying, 'We know we need to get to a resolution soon, because we don't want to get jammed by the Senate.' 'We have a thin majority, and we need to make one decision for all Republicans to answer the question 'Are you with the president, or are you not?' And every Republican needs to be with this president,' he said. With House Republicans stuck, Senate pushes ahead with its plan to fund Trump's agenda originally appeared on
