[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 13, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2870-S2871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Qatar

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, news of the Qatari Government gifting 
Donald Trump a $4 million private jet to use as Air Force One is so 
corrupt that even Putin would give a double take.
  This is not just naked corruption. It is also a grave national 
security threat.
  So in light of the deeply troubling news of a possible Qatari-funded 
Air Force One and the reports that the Attorney General personally 
signed off on this clearly unethical deal, I am announcing a hold on 
all DOJ political nominees until we get more answers.
  Here are some questions that must be answered. First, I call on the 
DOJ's Foreign Agent Registration Act Unit, or the FARA Unit, to do its 
job and disclose all activities by Qatari foreign agents inside the 
United States that could benefit President Trump or the Trump 
Organization.
  Since Attorney General Bondi took charge, the Department of Justice 
has not been doing its job when it comes to FARA. The FARA unit needs 
to enforce the law and inform the public of all activities, not just on 
this luxury plane deal but all deals involving foreign countries in the 
Middle East and President Trump, his family, and the Trump 
Organization.
  Second, with regard to this half-a-billion-dollar private jet deal, 
the American people deserve to know the facts. President Trump has told 
the American people this is a ``free jet.'' Does that mean the Qataris 
are delivering a ready-on-day-one plane with all the security measures 
already built in?
  If so, who installed those security measures, and how do we know they 
were properly installed? Why would we take the risk of trusting any 
foreign country to do this sensitive work?
  If not, what security modifications would be needed to ensure a 
foreign-sourced Air Force One is safe to use?
  If this is, as President Trump promised, a ``free jet,'' will the 
Qataris pay for those highly sensitive installations, or will the 
American taxpayers cover the cost?
  How much will those modifications cost American taxpayers? Hundreds 
of millions of dollars? Billions of dollars? How much will they cost?
  If the American taxpayers are forced to pay for this temporary plane, 
does it mean the U.S. Government will cancel the contract for the 
future Boeing plane?
  If so, how much will that cancellation cost? And if not, why are 
American taxpayers being asked to spend hundreds of millions of dollars 
or more on a plane that will only be used for a year or two?
  Additionally, who in the Trump administration was responsible for 
this crooked deal? What are the parameters

[[Page S2871]]

of this deal? And which country brought it up first--us or them? What 
is Qatar being offered in return?
  Considering past security disasters, such as the U.S. Embassy in 
Moscow, what are the security risks of this arrangement?
  And, finally, how is this gift not naked corruption?
  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, which requires congressional approval, or any other 
ethics law.
  So until the Attorney General explains her blatantly inept decision 
and we get complete and comprehensive answers to these and other 
questions, I will place a hold on all political nominees to the 
Department of Justice.
  As disturbing as this latest news about the Qatari Air Force One is, 
it is frankly just the tip of the iceberg.
  For months, Qatari and other Gulf State nationals have spent billions 
on deals with the Trump organizations, seemingly to buy access to the 
President, including $2 billion from the UAE venture capital firm for 
Donald Trump's new stablecoin, including the launch of a new Trump 
hotel in Dubai worth over a billion dollars and the construction of a 
beachside golf course in Qatar, potentially worth $5 billion.
  Donald Trump's business deals in the Middle East reek of crooked 
self-enrichment. He isn't just blurring the line between public service 
and personal profit, he is erasing it. This isn't speculation; it is 
fact backed by overwhelming evidence. He is jeopardizing America's 
national security to line his own pockets.
  What is most chilling about this brazen bribe and the national 
security betrayal is how openly Donald Trump is doing it, how he is 
lying about the need for this aircraft and the risks involved and how 
he is daring Republicans to call him out.
  And how are Republicans responding? With silence. With their heads in 
the sand. Total obeisance. Afraid to tell the ``emperor'' he has no 
clothes.
  Well, Republicans may be too scared to stand up to Donald Trump, but 
I will keep pushing and Senate Democrats will keep pushing to get more 
answers to this nakedly crooked arrangement with Qatar. 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.