‘Doesn't Seem Right’: GOP Sen. Rand Paul Questions Trump's Luxury Jet Gift
HuffPost
“I don’t think it looks good or smells good," the Kentucky Republican said of President Trump's decision to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar as a gift.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) raised concerns about Donald Trump’s reported plans to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar to serve as Air Force One, suggesting he pay for it instead.
“I don’t think it looks good or smells good,” Paul said of the offer on Monday, laying out the potential conflicts of interest involved with the president of the United States accepting such a lavish gift from a foreign nation known for seeking to influence policy in the Middle East.
“It just doesn’t seem right,” the Kentucky Republican told HuffPost. “We make decisions on troops there. I mean, there’s just a lot of foreign policy decisions. And I think people will think that it could possibly sway your decision-making process when you’ve gotten a ride on it every day, and it’s a really nice plane or something.”
ABC News reported over the weekend that Trump planned to retrofit the Boeing 747-8 airplane, referred to as a “palace in the sky,” from the government of Qatar and use it as his presidential plane until near the end of his term, upon which it would then be turned over to Trump’s future presidential library. According to the outlet, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi cleared the legality of the deal despite previously working as a high-paid lobbyist for Qatar.
Trump defended his decision to accept the jet earlier on Monday, maintaining it would be “stupid” for him to turn it down despite blistering criticism from ethics experts, congressional Democrats, and even some allies of the president.
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