US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has 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 the Trump administration a $400 million airplane.
Mr Trump yesterday that it would be "stupid" for him to refuse Qatar's offer of the Boeing 747-8 airplane, which would be used as US "Air Force One," the jet American presidents use to fly around the globe.
The aircraft eventually would be donated to Mr Trump's presidential library.
Mr Schumer, referring to reports that US Attorney General Pam Bondi had signed off on the deal for the plane, called it "a blatantly inept decision."
"The attorney general must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause (of the US Constitution),which requires congressional approval," he said in a speech to the Senate.
The Defense Department is already in the process of procuring a replacement for the current, aging Air Force One, with delivery by Boeing expected within a couple years.
"I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person (and) say 'no we don't want a free, very expensive airplane."
Mr Schumer said he wants answers to whether the Qatari government will pay for modifications of the aircraft needed to protect the president, secure communications and provide special configurations for what is in practice an airborne Oval Office workspace.
If the US government would have to bear those costs, Mr Schumer said, "why are American taxpayers being asked to spend hundreds of millions of dollars or more on a plane that will only be used for year or two?"
Details of the gift still being arranged, says White House
A White House spokesperson yesterday said details of the gift were still being arranged.
Outside ethics experts have listed a range of Mr Trump's activities that could point to the president using his office to enrich himself or his family.
Mr Schumer specifically mentioned a$TRUMP meme coin, plans for a new Trump hotel in Dubai and a new golf course in Qatar.
Currently, three of Mr Trump's Justice Department nominees are before the Senate: an assistant attorney general for Maryland and two in Virginia.
When asked if the oil-rich Gulf state would expect anything in exchange, the 78-year-old billionaire said: "It's a great gesture".
"I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person (and) say 'no we don't want a free, very expensive airplane," added Mr Trump.
Qatar's offer came after Mr Trump repeatedly complained of delays and cost overruns in aerospace giant Boeing's contract to provide two new Air Force One jets to replace the current aging models.
Mr Trump responded particularly angrily when asked if he would use the jet in a personal capacity after he left the presidency.
"You should be embarrassed asking that question," Mr Trump told a reporter. "They're giving us a free jet. I could say, 'no, no, no, don't give us I want to pay you $1 billion or $400 million', or whatever it is. Or I could say, 'thank you very much'."
Mr Trump said that instead it would be donated to his future presidential library as an exhibit, in the same way that Ronald Reagan's library holds a former Air Force One jet.
'Nuclear-grade graft'
Qatar swiftly sought to downplay the uproar, saying the jet would not be a gift.
"The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar's Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defense," said Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar's media attaché to Washington.
The plan has also raised deep security concerns about using a plane donated by a foreign power for use as the ultra-sensitive Air Force One. The jet is designed to serve as a mobile command centre for the president in case of an attack on the US.
Read more: Trump hails Air Force One 'gift' after Qatari luxury jet reports
Mr Trump and the White House claim the Qatari jet would be a gift to the US Department of Defense, which would also get around constitutional concerns.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Qatar had "graciously offered" to donate a plane to the Pentagon but that the "legal details of that are still being worked out."
"Any donation to this government is always done in full compliance with the law, and we commit ourselves to the utmost transparency, and we will continue to do that," she told Fox News.
Mr Trump has long been unhappy with the current Air Force One jets - two highly customised Boeing 747-200B series aircraft that entered service in 1990 under president George HW Bush.
Earlier this year Mr Trump said his administration was "looking at alternatives" to Boeing following delays in the delivery of two new 747-8 aircraft.
Mr Trump also has a model of the future Air Force One in his handpicked red, white and blue colours on the coffee table in the Oval Office, in front of where he sits with foreign leaders.
