The senior U.S. senator from one of the reddest states in the U.S. is now questioning whether President Donald Trump's acceptance of a new jet from a foreign government is legal under the Constitution.
CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju tweeted Monday that Trump's new $400 million jet from the Qatari royal family has now provoked concern from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) — both in terms of his legal authority to accept the gift and how secure the plane really is. She suggested that the administration "need[s] to look at the Constitutionality" of the royal jet before officially using it.
"I’d be checking for bugs is what I’d be checking for," she added.
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Capito Moore's concern is likely a reference to the "Emoluments Clause" found in Article 1, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution. That section explicitly prohibits presidents from accepting gifts from foreign governments without first getting approval by Congress.
"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State," the Constitution reads.
Trump insisted in a Truth Social post that the jet is necessary to maintain his presidential travel schedule given that Air Force One's scheduled $4.3 billion upgrades have been delayed by several years. He framed the gift as a win for both himself and for U.S. taxpayers.
"So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plan," Trump wrote. "Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!"