Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has two chief concerns with the prospect of Qatar gifting a $400 million plane to the Trump administration, but the incorruptibility of President Donald Trump isn't one of them.
In the end, accepting the plane "sends a bad signal," Paul told Newsmax on Tuesday.
"To me, it's not about President Trump or any individual president. It's about presidents in general or people in office taking gifts," Paul said on "Rob Schmitt Tonight." "So the Constitution says you can't take emoluments or gifts from foreign entities unless approved by Congress. I don't know how you get around that, and it's a pretty significant gift. ... It's a $400 million plane."
The other issue at play for Paul is the status of the new Air Force One being built by Boeing.
"There is another question, though. The plane that's being built, the new Air Force One, where are we in this? Are they right now just upgrading it?" Paul asked. "The thing is, the Qatari plane has to go through all the same upgrades. And so it's a great plane, but to be Air Force One, it has to have all the specific communications, defensive weapons. It has to have a lot of stuff added.
"If we're already halfway through the process with the current one, then it wouldn't make sense. If they haven't even built the plane, maybe it makes sense to get the plane from the Qataris," he added.
In that scenario, Paul said the "Qataris, if they wanted to, could sell it back at a discount to Boeing and Boeing could sell it to us."
Regardless, the emoluments clause is here to stay, Paul said.
"But the gift thing, I think, sends a bad signal. And I don't accuse Donald Trump or think that Donald Trump in any way could be purchased. I think you're right; he's one of the few people who [can't be purchased]. That's what I like about him," Paul said. "But I just still think that the gift rules ... I think we are going to have to keep them, because I think there's the potential of conflict for people."
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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