Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer D-N.Y., speaks during “Hands Off Social Security ” rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
FILE - A 13-year-old private Boeing aircraft that President Donald Trump toured on Saturday to check out new hardware and technology features, and highlight the aircraft maker’s delay in delivering updated versions of the Air Force One presidential aircraft, takes off from Palm Beach International Airport, Feb. 16, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Schumer is vowing to hold up Justice Department nominees for answers about luxury plane from Qatar
WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he will hold up all Department of Justice nominations on the Senate floor until he gets more answers about the free Air Force One replacement that President Donald Trump says would be donated by Qatar.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer D-N.Y., speaks during “Hands Off Social Security ” rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he will hold up all Department of Justice nominations on the Senate floor until he gets more answers about the free Air Force One replacement that President Donald Trump says would be donated by Qatar.
Trump said this week that he wants to accept the $400 million plane, and that it would later be donated to a presidential library. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday that the details of the donation are still being worked out.
The plan, Schumer said, 鈥渋s not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat.鈥
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Schumer said he wants answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Trump administration about whether it is investigating activities inside the United States by Qatari foreign agents that could benefit Trump or his business. He also wants to know if Qatar will be responsible for adding security measures to the plane and how it will be built and paid for.
鈥淭he Attorney General must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause 鈥 which requires congressional approval 鈥 or any other ethics laws,鈥 Schumer said.
Democrats have expressed uniform outrage about the potential foreign gift and . Returning to Washington on Monday evening, senators in both parties questioned how the deal would work and stressed the importance of following federal laws that govern how a U.S. president can accept gifts from foreign countries.
鈥淲e need to look at the constitutionality of it,鈥 said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who said she鈥檇 be concerned about possible spying devices installed on the plane. Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said that Trump had said he would follow the law, and 鈥渢hat鈥檚 the right answer.鈥
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Trump shouldn鈥檛 accept the jet. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it looks good or smells good,鈥 Paul said. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he鈥檇 prefer 鈥渁 big, beautiful jet made in the United States of America.鈥
Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma was one of the few senators defending the deal. 鈥淲hy would we care if another country wanted to give the United States a gift?鈥 he asked.
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Schumer鈥檚 holds mean that the Senate can鈥檛 quickly confirm any of Trump鈥檚 Justice Department nominees. Many lower level nominations, such as U.S. attorneys, are often approved in groups by voice vote.
Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Chris Coons of Delaware and Cory Booker of New Jersey also have said they will call for a vote this week to reaffirm the 鈥渂asic principle鈥 that public servants should not take foreign gifts for personal gain.
Murphy said in a floor speech Tuesday that Trump鈥檚 corruption is 鈥渨ildly public鈥 and that his hope is that 鈥渂y doing it publicly, he can con the American people into thinking it鈥檚 not corruption because he鈥檚 not hiding it.鈥
Coons raised security concerns.
鈥淭he Trojan Horse was a gift, too,鈥 he posted on X.
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Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Leah Askarinam and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
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