The Entire Qatari Jet Scandal EXPLAINED
Unpacking the Biggest Corruption Scheme in U.S Political History
The Biggest Corruption Scheme in the History of U.S. Politics
It seems there’s some new horrifying aspect to the Qatari Jet fiasco breaking every day, so the story’s been a bit disjointed to follow. From start to finish, here is the entire schocking story.
IT STARTS OUT BAD
Last week, Trump announced that he was replacing Air Force One with the private jet used by Qatar's royal family. The 14K-gold-bedecked, refurbished Boeing 747-8 includes 10 restrooms, 5 galleys, an elevator, a grand central staircase, a living room with bookshelves and a TV, and a children's play area, spaces designed for relaxation and entertainment, sleeping quarters with gold-toned walls, soft carpeting, premium leather sofas, suites, lounges, and a fully equipped boardroom.
Every American who wasn't a koolaid-guzzling MAGA cultist, GOP knob-gobbling sycophant, or gasbag Right-wing pundit was immediately horrified. This gold-bedazzled "flying palace" was gonna cost taxpayers a cool $400 million...plus another $350 million to retrofit it with all the technology necessary for a plane standing in for Air Force One.
$750 million just so Trump could commute to his daily golf outings in Midas opulence.
IT GETS WORSE
After the totally-predictable blow-back, Trump announced that taxpayers would inot be footing the bill for his flying Taj Majal — it was actually a GIFT from the Qatari royal family!
Because they're just really generous!
This didn't actively improve the situation since forcing taxpayers to pay for your private jet doesn't violate the Constitution...but accepting gifts from foreign states does:
The U.S. Constitution — Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 — prevents federal officials, those holding an office of "profit or trust," from accepting gifts, emoluments (benefits), offices, or titles from foreign rulers or states.
This is known as the "Emoluments Clause."
It doesn't matter that the $400-million gift would make it the most extravagant, expensive gift in American history — the value isn't the point — what matters is that, regardless of the cost, THIS ACT IS ILLEGAL.
Democratic politicians were quick to point out this painfully-obvious fact.
Trump responded with a tweet calling Dems "crooked losers" for rejecting a FREE GIFT...to the Department of Defense:
"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 plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA"
IT GETS EVEN WORSE
Since this was most definitely an Emoluments violationan — perhaps the most egregious Emoluments violation in American history — rather than simply abandoning the Unconstutional endeavor like a regular non-felon, Trump declared that he would let his trusty Attorney General, Pam Bondi, determine if it was or was not Constitutional.
IT GETS EVEN WORSE WORSE
During Blondi Bondi's Senate-confirmation hearing, she was asked if she had any potential conflicts of interest that could interfere with her ability to execute the duties of the Attorney General.
To her credit, she named two:
Her work for the America First Policy Institute (a nonprofit think tank founded in 2021 to promote Trump's public policy agenda)
Her brother’s legal practice (Brad Bondi is currently vying to be head of the D.C. Bar Association)
To her supreme discredit, Bondi conveniently failed to mention three others:
She's a lobbyist for The GEO Group — a private prison company accused of safety violations, providing inadequate health care, and poor management practices — whose largest source of revenue is ICE, who stands to rake in hundreds of millions off Trump’s new immigration policies.
As a partner at Ballard Partners — one of the top lobbying firms in the country — she’s lobbied on behalf of more than 30 different clients (including Amazon and Uber), many of whom are facing an assortment of federal lawsuits for a myriad of violations.
As a FARA-registered lobbyist (Foreign Agents Registration Act), Bondi earned $115k a month lobbying Congress on behalf of...Qatar.
Oopsie.
(Can you blame the gal from "not remembering" to bring that up at her confirmation hearing?!?)
IT SOMEHOW MANAGES TO GET EVEN WORSE STILL
Ah, loopholes! America's greatest export!
What is not forbidden by the Constitution are donations to the presidential library system — these can be made by anyone, foreign or domestic, in any amount.
So, Qatar-lobbyist/U.S Attorney General Bondi consulted the U.S. Constitution and concluded that the $400-million Qatari jet was not, in fact, a "GIFT"...it was a simply a LOAN!
One that would be transferred as a "donation" — as soon as his term was up — to, you guessed it! the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund.
Which means it would then be kept available for the fund’s namesake for as long as the fund's "namesake" personally felt like using it.
Yes, to skirt the Emoluments Clause, Qatar's star lobbyist Pam Bondi declared that Qatar was merely "loaning" the jet to "America" to replace Air Force One, after which it would become Trump's personal private jet.
See? Loopholes!
SUMMARIZING THE "ARE-YOU-F***ING-KIDDING-ME?" CORRUPTION
Joe Biden’s Executive Order 13989 required every appointee in every executive agency to sign an ethics pledge which stated:
1. Lobbyist Gift Ban. I will not accept gifts from registered lobbyists or lobbying organizations for the duration of my service as an appointee.
2. Revolving Door Ban—All Appointees Entering Government. I will not for a period of 2 years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts.
3. Revolving Door Ban—Lobbyists and Registered Agents Entering Government. If I was registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act or the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) within the 2 years before the date of my appointment, in addition to abiding by the limitations of paragraph 2, I will not for a period of 2 years after the date of my appointment
Immediately upon entering office, Trump signed Executive Order 14148 scrapping Biden's entire ethics pledge.
On her first day in office, brand new Attorney General Pam Bondi bizarrely ordered a halt to a years-old federal law enforcement effort to combat secret influence campaigns by foreign nations, disbanded the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, and scaled back enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, of which she was a part.
With those pesky ethics rule out of the way, The Trump Organization reached a deal on April 30 to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar. The 18-hole course with Trump-branded beachside villas will be built by a company from Saudi Arabia.
A week after closing the deal, the Qatari royal family "gifts" Trump with a $400-million luxury jet to replace Air Force One.
People complained that this was literally the MOST CORRUPT, UNCONSTITUTIONAL DEALING IN THE HISTORY OF THE PRESIDENCY, so Trump says he will let AG Pam Bondi have the final say in what is or isn't Constitutional.
Bondi, a personal lobbyist for Qatar, declared there was no Constitutional conflict because the jet is not a “gift” to the president, it is merely "loan" — one that the president will use until he’s out of office, at which time it will be donated to Trump's library fund for his personal use for as long as he wants.
WHAT WOULD A “LEGAL” COURSE OF ACTIONS LOOK LIKE?
There are three viable options:
Congress could approve the gift...with the caveat that it's a gift to America, not Trump personally (kinda like the Statue of Liberty). It would become property of the Defense Department — under the command of the Air Force — and used for each successive president until it was retired or replaced.
Trump could decline the gift since accepting it would violate the Constitution. (This is admittedly the LEAST LIKELY option, as Trump made known last week when his answer to "Don't you have to uphold the Constitution as President of the United States?" was "I don't know.")
Trump could accept the gif-, er, "loan" as planned, and then Congress could impeach for high crimes and misdemeanors. (On second thought, this is probably the least likely option, as Congressional Republicans actually doing their job and holding Trump accountable for anything has a smaller chance of happening than Trump munching on a garden salad after the back nine at a public golf course.)
The BIG QUESTION on everyone's mind that no one in Trump's cabal seems interested in discussing is: Wouldn't this be a perfect opportunity for a foreign government to have the President of the United States flying around in a bugged plane?
(answer: Of course it would and if you didn't immediately think of that yourself, go stick your head in a bear trap. Whatever happens, it'll be an improvement to your current critical thinking skills.)
Of course none of those viable three options will happen. Trump will violate the law via a convenient loophole America's Qatar-lobbying Attorney General came up with, and taxpayers — fresh off being told by the Golden God that their kids will have to make do with 2 dolls instead of 30 — will shell out $350 million for tech upgrades to Emperor Trump's golden retirement jet.
The End.