Mike Pence Refuses To Certify Trump’s $400M Gift Jet In NBC Interview

Former Vice President Mike Pence told NBC News anchor Kristen Welker that he doesn’t condone President Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million gift jet from a foreign power.

Trump just completed a four-day swing through the Persian Gulf region with stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which has been dogged by the controversy over his eager acceptance of a $400 million “flying palace” from Qatar to serve as Air Force One.

Trump and his administration have insisted it’s not “bribery,” while critics from every quarter have denounced the move. Some have cited support for terrorism as grounds for criticism.

In a preview of an interview that will air on Sunday morning’s edition of NBC’s Meet the Press, Pence cited several concerns as he refused to sign off on the gift, including the terrorism thing and the U.S. Constitution:

KRISTEN WELKER: Do you think President Trump should accept a military aircraft from Qatar?

MIKE PENCE: Well, I think first we got to remember who Qatar is. We’ve got a military base there. I have members of our immediate family that have deployed to the region, but Qatar has a long history of playing both sides. They support Hamas. They supported al Qaeda. Qatar has actually financed pro-Hamas protests on American campuses across the United States. And so the very idea that we would accept an Air Force One from Qatar, I think is inconsistent with our security, with our intelligence needs. And my hope is the president reconsiders it. I think if Qatar wants to make a gift to the United States, they ought to. They ought to take that $400 million and plow it into infrastructure on their military base.

KRISTEN WELKER: So you’re saying President Trump should turn down this plane?

MIKE PENCE: I think he should. I think, look, I—others have observed—there are profound issues, the potential for intelligence gathering, the need to ensure the President of the United States is safe and secure as he travels around the world, and of course, also there, there are very real constitutional issues. The Constitution prohibits public officials from accepting a present, in the words of the Constitution, a present from a foreign state. Now, they may have some basis through chain of title, through avoiding that. But, I think it’s just a bad idea. And my hope is the president will think better of it.

Watch above via NBC’s Meet the Press.