Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said Monday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that President Donald Trump accepting a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar is a “grift, pure and simple.”
Cooper said, “Senator, the president says anyone who turns down a free 747 as a world class loser. What do you see when you read between the lines of this deal?”
Van Hollen said, “This is grift, pure and simple. I mean, the reason we have The Emoluments Clause in the Constitution is to guard against countries essentially trying to buy favor with the President of the United States. That’s exactly what’s happening here in this transaction. So you can be sure that there will be resolutions in Congress that those Republican senators that you just mentioned will have a chance to demonstrate their disapproval. But this is all part and parcel of this larger scheme to sell the presidency for the president and his family’s personal benefit.”
He added, “Even when people get the smallest gifts, trinkets, when they’re going overseas, the protocol is to have them looked at by security, to be screened to make sure that there are no bugs implanted or other devices. So you’re right this is a massive jet that will require a huge amount of money and effort to go forward to make sure it’s not compromised.”
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