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Floor Speech

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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 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.

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