Qatari prime minister dismisses controversy surrounding Trump plan to accept gifted jet

By Kit Maher, CNN

(CNN) — The Qatari prime minister and minister of foreign affairs dismissed controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s plan to accept from his country a Boeing 747-8 to be used initially as Air Force One, telling CNN it’s simply a “government-to-government transaction,” not a personal gift to Trump.

“This is a very simple government-to-government dealing,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said Wednesday in an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson, adding that the matter was “still under legal review.”

Al-Thani would not confirm if a Qatari official approached Trump with an offer to help, as Trump suggested in an interview with Fox News.

“It is a government-to-government transaction,” Al-Thani said. “It has nothing to do with personnel, whether it’s on the US side or the Qatari side. It’s Ministry of Defense and Department of Defense.”

The potential transfer of the jet – which Trump has said would be donated to his library after he leaves office – has been criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike, with some of Trump’s own supporters pointing to the appearance that Qatar is influence peddling.

Republican Mike Rounds, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he has security concerns about the potential acceptance of the Qatari jet, likening it to a modern-day version of the Trojan horse. Another Republican member of that panel, Sen. John Cornyn, said he would also have concerns with Trump accepting the plane.

Al-Thani said ultimately, if the United States needs something and it’s legal, the Qataris will help, but not because they seek anything in return.

“Why would we buy an influence in the United States? If you look just in the last 10 years in the US-Qatar relationship. Qatar has been always there for the US, when it’s needed, whether it’s on the war against terror, whether it’s in the evacuation of Afghanistan, whether it’s on releasing hostages from different, different countries around the world,” Al-Thani said.

However, Al-Thani said “yeah, of course” the offer would be withdrawn if it were deemed illegal.

“We will not do anything illegal. If there something illegal here, there would be many ways to hide these kind of transactions when will not be visible for the public. This is a very clear exchange that’s happening between two governments,” he said. “I don’t see any controversy.”

Trump, too, has repeatedly defended his plan to accept the jet. On Sunday, Trump characterized the move as a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE” to the US Defense Department and he suggested in another post on Tuesday that anyone who wouldn’t accept the 747 would be a “FOOL.” He’s repeatedly returned to that point, saying he would be a “stupid person” to turn down a free gift.

Experts say it will cost potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to convert the aircraft into Air Force One, including work to ensure high-level security, communications and defense capabilities.

Pressed by a reporter on Monday if Qatar has asked for anything in return for the 747, Trump expressed disappointment in Boeing for the delay of an order he previously signed for a new Air Force One jet. Trump has also said he believed the gift is a “gesture of good faith” and that he would not use it after his term ends.

“Someday it will be like Ronald Regan. They decommission them,” Trump said. “It’ll go to my library. They’re talking going to my library in years out.”

Democrats have particularly sounded the alarm about potential ethical problems, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer put a blanket hold on Justice Department political nominees until he gets more information on the Qatari plane. That hold will slow down Senate confirmations, but Republicans can confirm them without Democratic help.

Aboard Air Force One Wednesday, Trump attacked Schumer, saying “there’s something wrong” with him.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the legal details are “still being worked out” and “any donation to this government is always done in full compliance with the law.”

CNN reported Wednesday that the Justice Department’s internal legal advisers cleared a memo signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi endorsing the legality of Trump accepting a 747-8 luxury jet from Qatar, according to a DOJ official.

Bondi previously lobbied on behalf of the Qatari government when she worked for Ballard Partners. Dick Durbin, the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the Justice Department questioning whether Bondi should have recused herself.

Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché to the US, said Sunday that “the possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made.”

CNN’s Morgan Rimmer, Hannah Rabinowitz, Alejandra Jaramillo, Manu Raju, Alison Main, and Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this report.

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