"The Mount Everest Of Corruption," Part One

    
     This is like the Mount Everest of corruption - Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley
​
       It's bad enough that Donald Trump snagged a used extra-super jumbo 747-8 luxury jet from Qatar, a 10-year-old flying palace that the Qataris had been trying to unload for years and that will cost the American taxpayers a billion - I repeat, a billion - dollars to refurbish.

       But, see, although two new jets were being built by Boeing to replace the current Air Force One planes, those planes weren't scheduled to be ready until 2027 or 2028, and Donald Trump wanted himself a new plane to fly around in, and he wanted it NOW.
       And so, since whatever Donald wants, Donald gets, soon after his inauguration the Pentagon went on a discreet mission to scour the world to find a new prèt-à-porter plane for Donald.       
​      When the Qatar plane was unearthed, discussions began between Qatar and the Pentagon for a possible deal for the U.S. to buy or possibly lease this plane to keep Trump happy until the new Air Force One replacement planes were ready.
       In tandem with these negotiations, the Qatari plane was flown to Mar-a-Lago so that Trump could have a look-see. He had a look and fell in love with what he saw: a gargantuan aircraft that dwarfed Air Force One in size and opulence, a stately pleasure-dome fit for a modern day Kublai Khan. 

       The cost of flying the plane is $35,000 an hour. The trip from Qatar to Mar-a-Lago cost one million dollars.
       Nonetheless Donald Trump simply had to have that plane, and so acquiring that plane for him became a front and center Department of Defense objective. Pentagon officials were in negotiations with Qatari officials on a deal to buy or rent the plane when Trump crashed the party, so to speak, by announcing on his social media page that Qatar was giving the United States - by the "United States" meaning himself - a free luxury jet.
       But, Qatar, even though they'd up until then had no luck finding a buyer for their $400 million behemoth - or at least that's what it was worth that when it was new and had likely depreciated in value over the years - but still, they weren't intending to gift it to Donald Trump. But then, I guess weighing the pros and cons of disputing The Donald, they decided to go ahead and make him happy, gift it to him, and get something in exchange down the road. 

      Of course, the President of the United States accepting a $400 (or so) million dollar jet from another country is 100% illegal. The Foreign Emoluments clause of our Constitution forbids any person holding any federal office from accepting any gift or compensation from any foreign government or power without the consent of Congress. 
        Congress did not consent to Donald Trump receiving that plane from Qatar. But, on the other hand, Congress didn't object, either. Because Republicans hold the majority in Congress and are under Trump's thumb. And so, with nobody who had the power to enforce the law bothering to enforce the law, Donald Trump, as usual, blew off the law and accepted his free jet from Qatar after giving  Qatar an offer it couldn't refuse.
           Except that the Qatari jet isn't really free, anyway. It's been determined that it will  cost the United States a billion dollars to rebuild it to Air Force One specifications. That's far more than it's costing to build the two new Air Force One's that are currently under construction. It's more than twice as much as the Qatari plane is worth. Not only that, it's likely that Trump's new plane won't even be finished before his term of office is over.  Unless, of course, he decides not to leave when his term of office is over, an idea he's been bouncing around. 
          Or, even if Trump  does surprise us all and follow the law by peacefully leaving when he's required to, he has directed that his plane won't remain Air Force One, but will be turned over to his Presidential Library. Which basically means turned over to him. He's promised he won't fly it after he's done being President. Which is probably about as true as anything else Donald Trump says.
        For some of us this whole Qatar plane business begs the question: Was the free-not-free plane extortion on Trump's part or a bribe on Qatar's part? 

​       I guess it doesn't really matter: six of one flavor of corruption, half a dozen of the other.
          But Donald Trump's luxury Qatar plane is corruption; huge, outrageous, criminal mob corruption. 
​           And yet, though it's bad enough, this case of Trumpian corruption isn't even the very worst. That worst corruption  - so far - the "Mount Everest of Corruption" - so far - that Senator Merkley refers to took place last Friday night at his Virginia  golf club.
     To be continued...

References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/us/politics/trump-qatar-jet-gift-air-force-one.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/us/politics/trump-air-force-one-qatar-jet.html

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/19/politics/trump-adminstration-approached-qatar-jet

https://www.newsweek.com/reports-trump-administration-initiated-qatar-boeing-deal-2074527

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/23/nx-s1-5406188/qatar-gift-plane-trump-air-force-one-overhaul-explained