Qatar’s PM defends jet offer, says it’ll be withdrawn if illegal
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The potential gift of a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar to US President Donald Trump has sparked controversy in Washington.
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WASHINGTON – Qatar’s prime minister defended his country’s offer of a luxury jet to President Donald Trump, telling CNN the government would not follow through with the gift if it was deemed illegal and insisting it was not an effort to wield undue influence within the US.
“It is government to government. The transaction has nothing to do with personnel, whether it’s on the US side or on the Qatari side,” Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, told CNN in an interview.
He also asked why would the country seek to buy “influence in the United States”.
“If you look just... in the last 10 years of the US-Qatar relationship, Qatar has been always there for the US,” he added.
Asked whether Qatar would withdraw the offer if it was deemed illegal, Mr Al Thani responded: “Of course.”
He added: “We will not do anything illegal. I mean, if there was something illegal, there were many ways to hide these kinds of transactions.”
The potential gift of a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar has sparked controversy in Washington, with critics from both sides of the aisle saying the offer would raise security and ethical concerns.
Mr Trump has defended his administration for considering the offer, saying it would be a gift to the Department of Defence and a benefit to taxpayers, not to him personally. The President has said he would use it as a temporary replacement for Air Force One only while in office.
Mr Trump has long expressed disappointment with the current iteration of the presidential plane and with Boeing, which is working on delivering newer versions of the aircraft that have been delayed
“Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars when they can get it for free from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,” Mr Trump wrote in a recent social media post.
“This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Only a fool would not accept this gift on behalf of our country.”
Mr Trump is in Qatar, the second leg of a Middle East trip. On May 14, the US announced deals totalling more than US$243.5 billion (S$316.5 billion) with the country as Mr Trump looks to secure investment dollars from allies in the region. Those deals include plans for Qatar Airways to acquire as many as 210 Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft for US$96 billion. BLOOMBERG
