On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said Congress had to approve the $400 million jet from Qatar’s royal family before President Donald Trump could receive it.
Host Erin Burnett said, “So President Trump says this luxury jet from the Qatar royal family, the reported price tag, as I said, about $400 million, is a, quote, gift free of charge. And they’re they’re pushing ahead. No pushback from the attorney general, who, of course, had formerly been paid up, reportedly $115,000 a month to lobby for the country of Qatar. So are there any strings attached to this?”
Raskin said, “Well, undoubtedly there are. But it doesn’t make any difference because the Constitution forbids the president from accepting any present, emolument, office or title of any kind whatever. The Constitution says, from a king, prince, or foreign state, without the consent of Congress. So he’s got to come to Congress first.”
He added, “You’ve got to go to Congress in order to accept a gift from a foreign government, which is what this is. Obviously, there’s all kinds of national security complications because it’s a government giving us this airplane and there’s all kinds of foreign policy implications. So Congress has got to debate it.”
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