Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that President Donald Trump should not accept a jet from Qatar to use as the next Air Force One.
Pence said, “First, we’ve got to remember who Qatar is. We’ve got a military base there. I have members of our immediate family that have deployed to the region. But Qatar has a long history of playing both sides. They support Hamas. They supported Al Qaeda. Qatar has actually financed pro-Hamas protests on American campuses across the United States.”
Host Kristen Welker said, “So you are saying President Trump should turn down this plane?”
Pence said, “I think he should. Look, others have observed there are profound issues, potential for intelligence gathering, the need to ensure the president of the United States is safe and secure as he travels around the world and also, there are very real constitutional issues, the Constitution prohibits public officials from accepting a present in the words of the Constitution, a present from a foreign state. Now, they may have some basis through a chain of title of avoiding that, but it’s just a bad idea. My hope is the president will think better about it.”
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