Former White House ethics counsel Norm Eisen criticized President Donald Trump‘s plan to accept a $400 million luxury jumbo jet from the government of Qatar, calling the move a blatant act of corruption. Eisen’s remarks, made during an appearance on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” on Monday evening, highlighted the growing concerns over the president’s actions as the Middle East peace talks approached.
“I want to play you more of what White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox this morning about the plan,” Cooper said before airing a clip of Leavitt’s comments. “The legal details of that are still being worked out,” Leavitt said in the clip.
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“But of course, any donation to this government is always done in full compliance with the law, and we commit ourselves to the utmost transparency, and we will continue to do that.” Cooper, visibly skeptical, asked Eisen whether the arrangement was legal. “Well, Anderson, as courts have found more than 125 times, this administration is trampling the Constitution and laws of the United States, and this is one of the lows,” Eisen responded, indicating that the move raises serious legal and ethical concerns.
Trump administration officials have claimed that the gift, which would be provided to the government and later transferred to the Trump presidential library, is not a personal gift to Trump. However, Eisen strongly disagreed, stating that the jet was clearly intended as a personal benefit for President Trump.
“Just listen to him. You played the sound earlier. I, I, I, why shouldn’t I take the thing? It’s going to follow him when he leaves the government. And he asked for a new plane. He toured this plane on the tarmac in Palm Beach,” Eisen said. Cooper, with sarcasm, remarked, “Everybody tours that plane on the tarmac! It was — it was widely available to everybody.”
Eisen continued with his criticism, saying, “Everybody gets a $400 million plane from the government of Qatar. They give them out like the M&Ms [we] used to enjoy in the White House mess! I mean, it’s so obviously a violation of the Emoluments Clause. I litigated these issues in multiple courts, and I found that Trump had implicated emoluments in the rules the first time around.
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It’s unconstitutional, and even his own party is calling him out on it. It’s wrong.” The controversy surrounding the proposed gift has sparked bipartisan criticism, with members of Trump’s own party questioning the ethical and legal implications of accepting such a substantial gift.
The Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits government officials from accepting gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval, a law many believe Trump’s actions would violate. As the situation continues to develop, legal experts and political commentators are closely monitoring the unfolding controversy over the proposed jet gift.
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