Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to slow down progress on President Donald Trump’s Justice Department nominees over his plans to accept a $400 million private jet from Qatar.
Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced on the Senate floor Tuesday that he will put a hold on the nominations, a procedural move that requires Republicans to take more floor time to advance them, “until we get more answers.”
“This is not just naked corruption. It is also a grave national security threat,” Schumer said.
Schumer called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify before Congress about how this gift wouldn’t violate the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which prohibits the president from accepting gifts from foreign nations without Congress’ approval, or other ethics rules.
He also asked the Justice Department’s Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit, to disclose any activities by Qatari foreign agents in the US that could benefit Trump or the Trump Organization. He posed questions about the security measures installed in the plane, associated costs, the contours of the agreement, and what Qatar was offered in return.
Trump told reporters on Monday that the luxury plane isn’t a gift to him, but to the Defense Department. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News that the “legal details of that are still being worked out” and any donation to this government “is always done in full compliance with the law.”
The hold could affect several Justice Department nominees currently awaiting a floor vote. Those include Brett Shumate, a former Jones Day partner tapped to lead the civil division, and John Eisenberg, nominated to lead the national security division.
It would also slow three other DOJ nominees for the US Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, set to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
(Updates with additional details on pending nominations)
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editors responsible for this story: