After Qatar's royal family offered its $400 million jet for President Donald Trump to use as an Air Force One replacement, the president set off a firestorm of criticism from both sides of the political aisle in his eagerness to accept it. Now, one expert is arguing that Americans should expect to see similar conflicts of interest play out throughout the remainder of Trump's second term.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the conversation over the jet is being interpreted by many as a sign that the administration is "open for business" to the rest of the world, and could signal future ethical quagmires for the 47th president. Columbia University researcher Tim Naftali — who is the former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum — pointed out two main indicators that suggest Trump will have many more opportunities to receive gifts from foreign countries despite the Constitution's limitations.
"Because he hasn’t faced any pushback—and doesn’t care about his approval rating—this is only the beginning of how he will want to enrich himself," Naftali said.
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As the Journal reported, Democrats aren't the only ones criticizing Trump over his acceptance of the jet. Earlier on Monday, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va) urged the administration to examine the "constitutionality" of the agreement, and that the Secret Service should check the jet for "bugs" before allowing Trump to fly on it. Far-right pundit Ben Shapiro blasted Trump over his attitude toward accepting the lavish jet.
"Is this good for President Trump? Is it good for his agenda? Is it good for draining the swamp and getting things done? The answer is, no. It isn’t. It isn’t," Shapiro said. "If you want President Trump to succeed, this kind of skeezy stuff needs to stop."
The administration's lawyers insisted there was nothing illegal about Trump accepting the jet, the Article 1, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution (also known as the "Emoluments Clause") expressly prohibits presidents from accepting any gifts from foreign governments without those gifts first being approved by Congress. The Journal observed that when former President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize, he donated the $1.4 million prize money to charity.
Trump has defended the jet as a temporary necessity until Air Force One's scheduled upgrades are completed. He also insisted that it was a good deal for U.S. taxpayers, saying that while he could have offered to pay up to $1 billion for the jet, he was simply choosing to say "thank you very much" to the offer.
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Click here to read the Journal's report in its entirety (subscription required).