Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) accused President Donald Trump of attempting to “launder” a $400 million luxury jet from the Qatari government through the U.S. Defense Department – a so-called gift the lawmaker said is “a clear violation of the Constitution.”
“This is a massive $400 million gift to Donald Trump,” Schiff said Wednesday during an appearance on CNN’s “The Source.”
“What he’s essentially seeking to do is launder this plane through the Defense Department,” he told host Kaitlan Collins. “Even Pam Bondi has said it would be illegal for Trump to accept it directly to the foundation. So they want to launder it through the Defense Department, as if that removes the illegality and the taint.”
“It does not,” he added. “It just embroils the Defense Department in this corrupt scheme.
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Schiff dismissed the idea that the aircraft would later be transferred to Trump’s presidential library, as the California Democrat argued it was part of a plan to conceal the true nature of the gift.
“And, of course, the Qataris, they're not stupid. They know exactly what they're doing. They're buying influence.”
He noted that the plane would need to be "thoroughly scrubbed to make sure that they're not listening to the president's conversations," and go through a retrofit to prepare it for presidential use.
“And by the time that plane is ready for service, Donald Trump will be on his way out of office, and he will essentially have that private plane for himself,” Schiff said. “That’s the whole intent of this deal. It's a great deal for Donald Trump. It’s a terrible deal for taxpayers and for the country.”
