The Pentagon said Wednesday that it had formally accepted a luxury airliner from Qatar that President Donald Trump has said will be retrofitted to serve as Air Force One during his presidency.
“The secretary of defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. “The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States.”
The plane is estimated to be worth about $400 million, making it one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the U.S. government, and will require extensive upgrades before it can be used for presidential travel.
The transaction has raised ethical concerns from Democrats and some Republicans, who worry that it could be an attempt by a foreign government to gain favor with the Trump Administration.
National security experts have also warned that accepting a second-hand plane from another government to serve as the presidential aircraft could pose security risks. It could take years to retrofit and install upgraded security and communications systems, they say, and such upgrades could cost more than $1 billion. Typically, Congress reviews and approves spending for new Pentagon programs.
Trump has repeatedly defended the gift as a “gesture” or “contribution” from Qatar’s royal family, which hosted him last week during his visit to the Middle East, claiming that the transaction would save Americans tax dollars since the U.S. government isn’t paying for the airliner. Trump has long been looking for a way to replace the aging presidential planes after he was told that Boeing could not deliver new jets for another two years.
“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” Trump said on May 12. “I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’ But it was, I thought it was a great gesture.”
Trump has said the airliner would be given to his presidential library after he leaves office.
Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, on Monday rejected the idea that his country is attempting to influence Trump.
“I don’t know why people—they are thinking this is considered as a bribery or considered as, something that Qatar wants to buy and influence with this Administration,” he said. “I don’t see any, honestly, a valid reason for that.”
“We are a country that would like to have strong partnership and strong friendship, and anything that we provide to any country, it’s provided out of respect for this partnership and it’s a two-way relationship,” he added. “It’s mutually beneficial for Qatar and for the United States.”
The Air Force said it would modify the airliner but did not provide further details about the plane or its timeline. Troy Meink, the Air Force secretary, said on Tuesday during Senate testimony that “any civilian aircraft will take significant modifications to do so.”
“We will make sure that we do what’s necessary to ensure security of the aircraft,” Meink added. “I will be quite clear and discuss that with the [Defense] secretary up to the President if necessary if we feel there’s any threats that we are unable to address.”
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