Rep. Jamie Raskin warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that he could face millions in fines if he didn't return a Qatari luxury jetliner gifted to the Trump administration.
In a letter sent Wednesday, the Maryland Democrat and member of the House Oversight Committee said Hegseth could be "on the hook" for the full cost of the airliner, some $400 million. Raskin said the gift's acceptance "flies in the face" of the Constitution "and and more than 200 years of practice by past presidents." The representative wrote that "common sense" should have shown Hegseth that accepting the gift was against the law.
Hegseth accepted the luxury jetliner from the Qatari government in May. Donald Trump has said he intends to use the plane as Air Force One, and Pentagon officials ensured that the aircraft would be fit with the proper security measures. Democrats argue that it would cost Americans upward of $1 billion and would require the Air Force to “cut corners” in its attempts to bring the civilian plane up to snuff quickly.
There have been signs that Trump officials and the Qatari government knew they were wading into murky waters. Before finalizing the deal, Qatar officials insisted on a memorandum of understanding specifying that the Trump administration pursued what Raskin calls a "persuasion campaign” to solicit the gift.
Democrats aren't alone in their criticism. Senator Ted Cruz, R -Texas, expressed his concerns about the gifted jetliner. In his letter, Raskin mentions that other rightwing figures, such as podcaster Ben Shapiro, are dissatisfied with the President’s actions.
“Even within the current administration, there’s a limit to how much blatant corruption and self-dealing the American people can witness without demanding that someone face the consequences,” Raskin wrote.
The representative laid out two courses of action for Hegseth: return the plane or get congressional approval for the gift. He went on to warn that Hegseth might not be as safe as he seems.
"Remember—the President’s legal advisors who shield you for now may not be in their positions before the statute of limitations runs out for you," he wrote, "or before another Attorney General with more respect for the Constitution and the rule of law takes office."
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