Renovating Trump's 'free' Qatari Jet Is Going Great, Just Don't Ask About The Mysterious $934 Million Transfer No One Wants To Talk About

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It whitethorn consciousness for illustration it's already been years, but successful reality, nan news that President Trump decided to judge a "free" Boeing 747 from nan federation of Qatar is only a mates of months old. It's nary concealed that, successful bid to usage nan level as Air Force One, it will require an costly and thorough renovation. How overmuch are taxpayers really spending connected Trump's "free" plane, though? Well, that's classified, but it besides sounds for illustration early estimates of astir a cardinal dollars whitethorn person really been beautiful accurate, the New York Times reports.

Apparently, nan Pentagon mysteriously transferred $934 cardinal retired of its atomic rocket modernization fund into "an unnamed classified project" that "congressional fund sleuths" judge "almost surely includes nan renewal of" Trump's allegedly free plane. We can't cognize for judge that money will beryllium utilized connected Trump's plane, and moreover if it is, they whitethorn not usage nan full $934 cardinal to renovate nan plane, but according to the Times, Air Force officials person antecedently mentioned utilizing money already allocated for atomic modernization to move nan Qatari pitchy into a useable Air Force One.

It's besides important to retrieve that nan existent scheme isn't for nan U.S. authorities to support nan plane. Instead, it will supposedly beryllium transferred to Trump's statesmanlike room (which, notably, still doesn't exist) erstwhile Trump leaves office. So while activity connected nan level will reportedly statesman soon, it will apt return astatine slightest a year, if not two, to get it fresh for duty. That leaves very small clip for Trump to usage it arsenic Air Force One. He is, aft all, constitutionally ineligible to service different word arsenic President, astatine slightest if you spell based connected what nan words successful nan Constitution say. 

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When he was asked astir nan morals of nan full level point backmost successful May, Trump said, "I would ne'er beryllium 1 to move down that benignant of an offer. I mean, I could beryllium a stupid personification and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very costly airplane.'" Which is great, isolated from for nan portion wherever nan American taxpayers are footing nan measure for a level nan national authorities won't moreover get to support erstwhile Trump leaves office. As the Times put it:

It is free successful nan consciousness that a utilized car handed complete by a neighbour looking to get it retired of his driveway is free. In this case, among nan galore modifications will beryllium hardened communications, antimissile systems and motor capabilities to return nan president quickly to information arsenic 1 of nan older Air Force Ones did connected Sept. 11, 2001, erstwhile Al Qaeda attacked nan United States. And location is nan delicate matter of ridding nan pitchy of immoderate hidden physics listening devices that U.S. officials fishy whitethorn beryllium embedded successful nan walls.

Then, of course, it has to beryllium stuffed pinch nan luxuries — and golden trim — pinch which nan 47th president surrounds himself, whether he is successful nan Oval Office aliases successful nan air. The jet's precocious platform has a lounge and a communications center, while nan main chamber tin beryllium converted into a flying sick bay successful a aesculapian emergency.

After spending each that money connected refitting nan Qatari pitchy for Trump to usage arsenic Air Force One for possibly a twelvemonth aliases two, nan national authorities will still person to salary for the 2 Air Force One planes already connected order. You know, since Trump's scheme is to return nan Qatari pitchy pinch him erstwhile he leaves office. So each dime spent connected this level is an other costs to taxpayers to make Trump happy.

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Last month, Secretary of nan Air Force Troy Meink told Congress not to interest astir nan costs of nan "free" Qatari jet. "I deliberation location has been a number thrown astir connected nan bid of $1 billion, but a batch of those costs associated pinch that are costs that we'd person knowledgeable anyway," Meink told lawmakers. "We will conscionable acquisition them early. So it wouldn't beryllium anyplace adjacent that. We judge nan existent retrofit of that craft is astir apt little than $400 million."

That doesn't precisely track, considering we, again, still person to salary for nan 2 different Air Force Ones already connected order, and nan national authorities won't support nan Qatari pitchy aft Trump leaves office. But the Times besides cites "engineers and Air Force experts who have been done akin projects" and still don't bargain that fund estimate. And erstwhile pressed for much specifications past week, nan Air Force said it couldn't talk nan costs of nan task because it's classified. As the Times points out, though, "the Air Force is consenting to talk nan costs of building a caller procreation of intercontinental ballistic missiles, but not nan costs of renovating nan president's aircraft." Curious.

As Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat who sits connected nan Armed Services Committee, told nan Times, "The much we study astir this deal, nan much disturbing it becomes. The information implications of accepting a backstage level from a overseas federation arsenic Air Force One and nan resulting ethical concerns a gift of that size creates were already significant." Beyond that, though, Shaheen said they're worried "this management is diverting costs from nan atomic modernization fund to finance costly renovations to this plane," and that "we're weakening our credibility to money a vanity task for President Trump."