“It’s a great deal for Donald Trump. It’s a terrible deal for taxpayers and for the country, but it is a clear violation of the Constitution as well.”
View the full interview here.
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins to discuss President Donald Trump’s corrupt acceptance of a $400 million plane from the Qatari government and its danger to national security. He also discussed the need to support Ukraine throughout ongoing negotiations with Russia.
Key Excerpts:
On Trump’s self-dealing with foreign governments which poses a threat to national security:
[…] I don’t think he’s exactly the arbiter of what the U.S. Constitution says. And plainly, the Constitution prohibits a foreign government, a foreign king or prince, from giving a President of the United States, or really anyone holding office, a gift. And this is a massive $400 million gift to Donald Trump. And of course, the Qataris, they’re not stupid. They know exactly what they’re doing. They’re buying influence with that gift. That gift will need to be scrubbed. It will need to be retrofit. It will cost taxpayers a great deal, and by the time that plane is ready for service, Donald Trump will be on his way out of office, and he will essentially have that private plane for himself. That’s the whole intent of this deal. It’s a great deal for Donald Trump. It’s a terrible deal for taxpayers and for the country, but it is a clear violation of the Constitution as well.
[…] It absolutely is a national security issue. The Qataris are very sophisticated with electronic surveillance. They’ve invested a lot of money in it, as have other Gulf nations. So that plane will need to be thoroughly scrubbed to make sure that they’re not listening to the president’s conversations onboard that aircraft. Now, this is an administration that has always played fast and loose with security, as we saw with that Houthi chat using commercial apps for discussions of military strike plans. So, Donald Trump may not care about that, but the American people do.
On Trump’s blatant disregard of the Constitution:
[…] There was an Emoluments case brought against the Trump family, against the president. It worked its way through the courts. But of course, the courts delayed so much, and in particular the Supreme Court delayed so much that by the time it was ready to be decided, Trump was already out of the presidency, and the Supreme Court found the matter was therefore moot. And we can expect the same kind of Trump delays when this transaction, if it goes through, when this transaction is tested in the courts, the same kind of Trump stall tactics. And that just is hugely problematic. But in addition to all of that, what he is essentially seeking to do is launder this plane through the Defense Department. Even Pam Bondi has said it would be illegal for Trump to accept it directly to the foundation.
On Trump’s contingent support of Ukraine:
[…] I think it’s been very clear since the president pushed these negotiations, that notwithstanding the fact he was really requiring Ukraine to surrender — to give up its own lands, to give up its sovereignty, to give up its claims in the future — that Russia still in no hurry to end the conflict or even bring about a ceasefire, even with all of the leverage Donald Trump gave the Russians just a wish list of Russian demands for Ukraine. The threatening of continued support for Ukraine, militarily and intelligence support by Donald Trump against Ukraine. Even with all of that, Putin feels like he’s in no hurry. He’s not the least bit intimidated by Donald Trump. Trump is now threatening, “Oh, there will be massive sanctions on Russia.” Putin could care less. He has, sadly got the president’s number all too well. He knows that the president is essentially a paper tiger and has already betrayed Ukraine. So, I don’t know what to make of this, what now seems to be a boarded meeting in Turkey. But I think Putin is playing the president perfectly.
[…] The outcome I would like to see is the United States unequivocally supporting our ally Ukraine, not undermining it, not forcing it to accept some resolution that cedes Ukrainian territory and sovereignty. But we’re well past that with this administration, I think, frankly, Kaitlan, the Kremlin, doesn’t take Donald Trump’s threats credibly. They don’t take it seriously.
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