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 US “Air Force One,” the jet American presidents travel on when they fly around the globe.
The aircraft eventually would be donated to Trump’s presidential library.
“There will be plenty of scrutiny,” Republican senate majority leader John Thune of South Dakota told reporters. “There are lots and lots of issues around that, that I think will attract very serious questions.”
Senate commerce committee chair Ted Cruz of Texas, a Republican who has long been critical of Qatari foreign policy, told CNBC that he had concerns about such a deal.
“The plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems, so we’ll see how this issue plays out,” he said.
The defence department is already in the process of procuring a replacement for the current, ageing Air Force One, with delivery by Boeing expected within a couple of years.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer earlier vowed to block all of Trump’s nominees to the justice department until the agency reports what it knows about the Qatari offer. Three nominees are currently before the senate.
“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.
Schumer, of New York, 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 must 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. A new commercial 747-8 costs approximately US$400 million.
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.
Republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, one of the most rebellious members of his party, said Trump taking the plane would be a mistake.
“I think it’s not worth the appearance of impropriety,” he told Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” programme late on Monday. “I wouldn’t take it.”