Arya News - WASHINGTON, May 18 (Sputnik) - Qatar`s gift of a Boeing 747-8 jet to the United States is perfectly above board, Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday.
Separately on Sunday, Trump Treasury chief Scott Bessent also defended the administration"s decision to accept the lavish gift.“The French gave us the Statue of Liberty, the British gave us the Resolute Desk. I’m not sure they asked for anything in advance,” Bessent told CNN after host Jake Tapper pointed out that no country would give away a $400 million jet “just to be nice.”More importantly, Bessent said, Boeing has $100 billion in orders from Qatar. “This is the biggest order in the company’s history,” he emphasized.Last week, Trump said that he would have to be "stupid" to turn down the "free" plane, referring to the gift as a "great gesture."Qatar is set to give the US a Boeing 747-8 jet valued at $400 million. According to US media, the Boeing 747-8 arrived in Texas more than a month ago. Current and former US officials said it would take years and billions of dollars to retrofit the plane to meet presidential security requirements.
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why did qatar give trump a $400 million jet, is qatar"s gift of jet to us bribery
why did qatar give trump a $400 million jet, is qatar"s gift of jet to us bribery
Trump Envoy Calls Qatar"s Jumbo Jet Gift a "Perfectly Legal Transaction"
18:59 GMT 18.05.2025 (Updated: 19:17 GMT 18.05.2025 )
© AP Photo / Alex Brandon Qatar"s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani bids farewell to President Donald Trump at Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar.
© AP Photo / Alex Brandon
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Qatar"s gift of a Boeing 747-8 jet to the United States is perfectly above board, Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday.
"It is a perfectly legal transaction. It has been vetted by the White House counsel, by the Justice Department. There are outside law firms involved. So, it is a perfectly legal, government to government, Department of Defense to Department of Defense transaction that happens in the normal course and has been happening in the normal course throughout our existence," Witkoff told ABC News.
Separately on Sunday, Trump Treasury chief Scott Bessent also defended the administration"s decision to accept the lavish gift.
“The French gave us the Statue of Liberty, the British gave us the Resolute Desk. I’m not sure they asked for anything in advance,” Bessent told CNN after host Jake Tapper pointed out that no country would give away a $400 million jet “just to be nice.”
More importantly, Bessent said, Boeing has $100 billion in orders from Qatar. “This is the biggest order in the company’s history,” he emphasized.
Last week, Trump said that he would have to be "stupid" to turn down the "free" plane, referring to the gift as a "great gesture."
Qatar is set to give the US a Boeing 747-8 jet valued at $400 million. According to US media, the Boeing 747-8 arrived in Texas more than a month ago. Current and former US officials said it would take years and billions of dollars to retrofit the plane to meet presidential security requirements.
Americas US Donald Trump Jake Tapper Qatar Justice Department White House Boeing Boeing 747 gift bribery
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