‘A Flying Grift!’ Democrat Rep. Sends Blistering Demand Trump Face ‘Immediate’ IG Ethics Review On Qatari Jet Gift
(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Democrats pounced on a report that President Donald Trump is to receive an enormous gift from the nation of Qatar in the form of a “lavishly outfitted Boeing 787 Dreamliner,” described as a “flying palace” previously owned by the Qatari royal family; a “flying grift” according to one Democrat, who has formally demanded an investigation.
The DNC put out a press release on Sunday with a slew of blistering quotes from various media on the story of what could be the most valuable gift offered to the United States by a foreign power. On social media, the party described it as “corruption in plain sight.”
Conservatives, too, expressed dismay on social media, even hardcore supports like Laura Loomer joining in.
Democratic NY Rep. Ritchie Torres reacted on social media first, writing that “Air Force One will have something in common with Hamas. Paid for by Qatar.”
Air Force One will have something in common with Hamas.
Paid for by Qatar. pic.twitter.com/GnDxDAEJBZ
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) May 11, 2025
He then went a step further, submitting a letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), acting Department of Defense Inspector General Steven Stebbins, and acting director Jamieson Greer of the Office of Government Ethics demanding an “immediate” review.
“The American people are witnessing, in real time, what can only be described as a ‘flying grift,'” Torres wrote.
He slammed the Attorney General and the DOJ for affixing a “seal of approval” to the gift, referring to the ABC News report that Justice has already drafted a finding for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth “concluding that is legal for the Department of Defense to accept the aircraft as a gift and later turn it over to the Trump library.”
Torres said the gift “flagrantly violates both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause. That clause explicitly prohibits any person holding public office from accepting ‘any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.'”
“No one — not even President Trump — is above the law, let alone the Constitution,” said Torres.
He called for the addressed departments to take three immediate steps:
1.Conduct an immediate ethics review of the Qatari gift;
2. Issue a formal advisory opinion on whether the gift violates federal ethics regulations and the Emoluments Clause;
3. Recommend policy reforms to prevent the conversion of foreign gifts into private property by current or former presidents.
Read the full letter from Rep. Torres below.
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