House Democrat calls for 'immediate' ethics probe of Qatari plane gift to Trump

A Democratic congressman is calling for an morals probe implicit President Donald Trump's plans to judge a $400 cardinal pitchy from Qatar that would temporarily service arsenic Air Force One earlier being allotted to Trump's statesmanlike room aft helium leaves office.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., wrote to the Government Accountability Office connected Sunday, noting that the plane would beryllium the azygous astir costly acquisition ever received by a U.S. president. Torres derided the woody arsenic a "flying grift," arguing it violates the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which "explicitly prohibits immoderate idiosyncratic holding nationalist bureau from accepting ‘any present, Emolument, Office, oregon Title, of immoderate benignant whatever, from immoderate King, Prince, oregon overseas State.'"

"I americium penning to explicit alarm implicit reports that President Donald Trump is poised to judge a luxury craft — a Boeing 747-8 — from the authorities of Qatar. The plane, truthful opulent it has been described arsenic a ‘palace successful the sky,’ is acceptable to beryllium made disposable to President Trump for authoritative usage arsenic Air Force One and past for backstage usage erstwhile helium leaves office," Torres wrote.

"This ‘flying grift’ is simply the latest section successful a tawdry communicative of statesmanlike profiteering unprecedented successful American history," Torres added.

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President Donald Trump says helium plans to judge the acquisition of a $400 cardinal pitchy from Qatar. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Trump described the woody successful his ain words connected societal media successful a station Sunday night.

"So the information that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 craft to regenerate the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, successful a precise nationalist and transparent transaction, truthful bothers the Crooked Democrats that they importune we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane," helium wrote.

"Anybody tin bash that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!" helium added.

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ABC News reported that Trump toured the level successful West Palm Beach earlier this year. While the woody is acceptable to beryllium announced during Trump's travel to the Middle East this week, the existent transaction is not expected to beryllium made until later. Qatari officials accidental they expect to donate the level done the Pentagon.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from New York, is calling for an morals probe into President Donald Trump's plans to judge a pitchy from Qatar arsenic a gift. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The imaginable transportation of an craft for impermanent usage arsenic Air Force One is presently nether information betwixt Qatar's Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, but the substance remains nether reappraisal by the respective ineligible departments, and nary determination has been made," Qatari embassy authoritative Ali Al-Ansari told ABC News.

Presidents person for decades circumvented the Emoluments Clause by classifying gifts they person portion successful bureau arsenic gifts to the bureau of the president. Those gifts are past cataloged and stored arsenic portion of their statesmanlike libraries aft leaving office. While presidents support immoderate level of entree to the items successful their libraries, they bash not ain them straight and indispensable acquisition them from the national authorities successful bid to unafraid backstage ownership.

TRUMP STAFFERS LOAD BOXES OF ITEMS SEIZED BY FBI IN 2022 MAR-A-LAGO RAID ONTO AIR FORCE ONE

If the pitchy were to participate Trump's statesmanlike library, it is unclear however costs would beryllium apportioned for attraction and usage costs.

A Boeing 747-8, the aforesaid wide exemplary arsenic the 1 being talented to Trump, sits connected a tarmac.  (Getty Images)

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When not successful bureau arsenic president, Trump has traveled successful his backstage Boeing 757 jet, dubbed Trump Force One. That pitchy is famously emblazoned with Trump's past sanction and was often seen successful the backdrop of run rallies.