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President Trump arrives successful Saudi Arabia
Washington — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday that helium intends to spot holds connected President Trump's governmental nominees to the Justice Department successful effect to a Qatari-offered jet for the president's use, portion calling connected Attorney General Pam Bondi to attest earlier Congress.
"In airy of the profoundly troubling quality of a imaginable Qatari-funded Air Force One, and the reports that the lawyer wide personally signed disconnected connected this intelligibly unethical deal, I americium announcing a clasp connected each DOJ governmental nominees until we get much answers," Schumer said successful remarks connected the Senate level Tuesday morning.
Mr. Trump is making his archetypal planetary travel of his 2nd word this week, wherever helium arrived successful Saudi Arabia Tuesday earlier visiting Qatar and the United Arab Emirates successful the coming days. Meanwhile, an unprecedented connection by the royal household of Qatar to donate a jumbo pitchy for Mr. Trump's exclusive usage arsenic a statesmanlike level has sent shockwaves done the governmental sphere backmost home.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, called the imaginable acquisition "so corrupt" that Russian President Vladimir Putin "would springiness a treble take," portion calling it a "grave nationalist information threat."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks astatine a property league with different members of Senate Democratic enactment pursuing a argumentation luncheon astatine the U.S. Capitol successful Washington, DC May 6, 2025.
Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
The number person outlined a fig of requests of the Justice Department, calling connected its Foreign Agent Registration Act portion to disclose each activities by Qatari overseas agents wrong the U.S. that could payment Mr. Trump oregon his family's organization, portion urging that the American radical "deserve to cognize the facts."
Schumer asked who would instal information measures connected the jet, however the measures would beryllium verified, what modifications would beryllium needed to guarantee its safety, on with who would wage for the installations and however overmuch would they cost. He besides asked what Qatar is being offered successful return, portion calling connected the lawyer wide to attest earlier the House and Senate to explicate wherefore the acquisition does not interruption immoderate morals instrumentality oregon the emoluments clause, which prohibits authorities officials from accepting compensation from a overseas authorities without the support of Congress.
"Until the lawyer wide explains her blatantly inept decision, and we get answers to these questions, I volition spot a clasp connected each governmental nominees to the Department of Justice," Schumer said.
The applicable interaction of the holds remains unclear. The holds would beryllium expected to dilatory the nominations by requiring Senate Republicans to instrumentality each procedural ballot alternatively than moving guardant with the nominees nether an expedited timeframe. And Justice Department nominees aren't voted connected en bloc similar subject promotions, further delaying the process.
White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the Qatari authorities had "graciously offered to donate a level to the Department of Defense," portion noting that the details were inactive being worked out. And the president defended accepting the acquisition of the level Monday, saying "I could beryllium a anserine idiosyncratic and say, ohio no, we don't privation a escaped plane." He added that it would "go directly" to his statesmanlike room erstwhile helium leaves office.
But Democrats person vehemently denounced the offer, portion a fig of Republicans person called the morals and nationalist information implications of the imaginable acquisition into question.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who was asked whether Mr. Trump should cull the Qatari jet, told reporters Tuesday that helium didn't cognize whether determination had been an authoritative connection yet. But helium added that helium thinks determination are "lots of issues associated with that offer," which helium said should beryllium further discussed.
Alan He contributed to this report.
Kaia Hubbard is simply a authorities newsman for CBS News Digital, based successful Washington, D.C.
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