Sunday, 16 November, 2025
London, UK
Sunday, November 16, 2025 9:32 PM
overcast clouds 7.6°C
Condition: Overcast clouds
Humidity: 71%
Wind Speed: 9.6 km/h

Schumer is vowing to hold up Justice Department nominees for answers about luxury plane from Qatar

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he will hold up all Department of Justice nominations on the Senate floor until he gets more answers about the free Air Force One replacement that President Donald Trump says would be donated by Qatar.

Trump said this week that he wants to accept the $400 million plane, and that it would later be donated to a presidential library. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday that the details of the donation are still being worked out.

The plan, Schumer said, “is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat.”

Schumer said he wants answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Trump administration about whether it is investigating activities inside the United States by Qatari foreign agents that could benefit Trump or his business. He also wants to know if Qatar will be responsible for adding security measures to the plane and how it will be built and paid for.

“The Attorney General must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause — which requires congressional approval — or any other ethics laws,” Schumer said.

Democrats have expressed uniform outrage about the potential foreign gift and many Republicans are uneasy about the plan, as well. Returning to Washington on Monday evening, senators in both parties questioned how the deal would work and stressed the importance of following federal laws that govern how a U.S. president can accept gifts from foreign countries.

“We need to look at the constitutionality of it,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who said she’d be concerned about possible spying devices installed on the plane. Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said that Trump had said he would follow the law, and “that’s the right answer.”

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Trump shouldn’t accept the jet. “I don’t think it looks good or smells good,” Paul said. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he’d prefer “a big, beautiful jet made in the United States of America.”

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma was one of the few senators defending the deal. “Why would we care if another country wanted to give the United States a gift?” he asked.

Schumer’s holds mean that the Senate can’t quickly confirm any of Trump’s Justice Department nominees. Many lower level nominations, such as U.S. attorneys, are often approved in groups by voice vote.

Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Chris Coons of Delaware and Cory Booker of New Jersey also have said they will call for a vote this week to reaffirm the “basic principle” that public servants should not take foreign gifts for personal gain.

Murphy said in a floor speech Tuesday that Trump’s corruption is “wildly public” and that his hope is that “by doing it publicly, he can con the American people into thinking it’s not corruption because he’s not hiding it.”

Coons raised security concerns.

“The Trojan Horse was a gift, too,” he posted on X.

___

Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Leah Askarinam and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

Categories

Follow

    Newsletter

    Subscribe to receive your complimentary login credentials and unlock full access to all features and stories from Lord’s Press.

    As a journal of record, Lord’s Press remains freely accessible—thanks to the enduring support of our distinguished partners and patrons. Subscribing ensures uninterrupted access to our archives, special reports, and exclusive notices.

    LP is free thanks to our Sponsors

    Privacy Overview

    Privacy & Cookie Notice

    This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and to help us understand how our content is accessed and used. Cookies are small text files stored in your browser that allow us to recognise your device upon return, retain your preferences, and gather anonymised usage statistics to improve site performance.

    Under EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we process this data based on your consent. You will be prompted to accept or customise your cookie preferences when you first visit our site.

    You may adjust or withdraw your consent at any time via the cookie settings link in the website footer. For more information on how we handle your data, please refer to our full Privacy Policy