The Pentagon has accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar to be used as Air Force One, the president’s plane, according to the Defence Department.
The unprecedented $400 million gift, which President Donald Trump has said will transfer to his library after his term ends, will require extensive renovation to serve essentially as the flying White House.
“The Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said in a May 21 statement.
“The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States.”
Qatar offered Trump the plane during his trip last week to the Middle East. News of the offer drew immediate condemnation from Senate Democrats.
Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, called on the Pentagon inspector general to investigate what he called a “brazen attempt to evade constitutional limitations on the acceptance of personal gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval.”
Retrofitting the plane against counterintelligence and surveillance risks would be costly and take years to complete, Reed said.
Replacements for the current Boeing 747s used as Air Force One are years behind schedule.
The Air Force, in a statement, said it is preparing to award a contract to modify the plane for “executive airlift. Details related to the contract are classified.”
Trump called journalists’ questions about the plane “fake news” during a May 21 news conference in the Oval Office with South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“They’re giving the United States Air Force a jet, and it’s a great thing,” Trump said.
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