Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on May 13 announced a hold on President Donald Trump’s nominees to the Department of Justice until there are answers regarding Qatar gifting Trump a jet, which he plans to use as his presidential plane.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Schumer criticized the gift as “corrupt” and called it a “grave national security threat.”
“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,” Schumer said.
Placing holds on nominees does not prevent the Senate from voting on them, but it causes the Senate to go through the usual procedures to confirm picks that would otherwise be confirmed by unanimous consent, where there is no recorded vote.
Trump confirmed on May 12 reports that he would accept a Boeing 747-8 jet from Qatar, which he is scheduled to visit this week as part of a Middle East trip that includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
It will be retrofitted as Air Force One while Boeing continues to build a permanent one to replace the current aircraft, which is more than three decades old.
