The watchdog group Democracy Defenders Fund, led by a former Obama administration ethics official, has formally requested a federal investigation into the Pentagon’s acceptance of a Qatari luxury jet on behalf of President Trump.
According to a memo obtained by CBS News, the group asked the Department of Defense’s inspector general and the Government Accountability Office to probe whether the Pentagon broke laws and engaged in impropriety by accepting the gift on Mr. Trump’s behalf from the Qatari royal family. The memo was sent to the inspector general and GAO on Friday.
The Democracy Defenders Fund is a nonpartisan advocacy group founded by Obama ethics czar Norm Eisen. Its memo said the agencies should investigate whether the Defense Department had improperly invoked its authorities to accept the jet aircraft and to reportedly transfer $934 million in funding from a nuclear missile program to help retrofit the aircraft.
“If true, this would mean that the DoD is diverting critical nuclear defense funds to outfit an unprecedented gift from a foreign government to a U.S. president,” the group said in a 10-page memo.
Earlier this year, President Trump confirmed that the Qatari royal family was donating a Boeing 747-8 for his use. Valued at $400 million, the jumbo jet is set to be donated to Mr. Trump’s presidential library after his term is over.
“There are so many things wrong with this picture, it’s a challenge to know where to begin,” said Virginia Canter, chief counsel for ethics and anti-corruption at Democracy Defenders Fund. “The fact that taxpayers are now funding a fifth Air Force One, originating from a foreign monarchy, is a staggering abuse of public trust, fiscal priorities, and national security interests,” Canter said.
The memo from Democracy Defenders Fund said the jet was redundant and unnecessary, pointing out the U.S. Air Force operates two 747 jets as Air Force One, and two replacement aircraft were authorized in 2018 for $3.9 billion. Despite the existence of both an active and future fleet, Mr. Trump pursued the $400 million Qatari plane, which he referred to in May as a “gift.”
“If we can get a 747 as a contribution to our Defense Department to use during a couple of years while they’re building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture,” the president said.
The memo from the Democracy Defenders Fund also argued that Justice Department guidance prohibits agencies from accepting gifts that would incur costs in future fiscal years, as appears to be the case with the Qatari jet.
“The Air Force has already made clear that the Qatari jet is not able to operate as Air Force One in its current state,” the memo said.
The group also argued that even if it were legal, “the use of the (Defense Department’s) statutory authority to accept a foreign gift that is not fit for purpose and then expend a billion dollars from appropriations for nuclear deterrence to upgrade that plane would be wasteful, a gross mismanagement of funds and an abuse of the (Defense Department’s) statutory authorities in support of the President’s attempt to evade Constitutional restrictions on acceptance of foreign emoluments.”
A memorandum of understanding between Qatar and the Defense Department that was viewed by CBS News outlined the “unconditional donation” of one Boeing 747-8 jumbo aircraft.
It was signed earlier this month by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatar’s deputy prime minister and minister of state for defense affairs. It does not specifically mention Air Force One but says the jet can be used by the Pentagon “in any manner it deems appropriate.”
The Defense Department inspector general declined to comment.
