OAN Staff James Meyers
2:51 PM – Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that he will be placing holds on Trump administration Department of Justice (DOJ) nominees, at least until details are revealed regarding Qatar’s gifted $400 million dollar jet — replacing Air Force One.
Schumer (D-N.Y.) made the statement in a Senate floor speech on Tuesday. He criticized President Donald Trump after he celebrated the “palace in the sky” gift. Schumer also argued that the gifting is “so corrupt that even Russian President Vladimir Putin would give a double-take.”
However, the move to place holds on Trump nominees will only be delayed and will not actually block the nominees from being confirmed — with a simple majority vote of GOP senators being able to overcome it.
According to Schumer’s office, at least three are already on the calendar.
The Democrat Senate leader demanded that the Justice Department’s Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) team reveal all applicable details on how the Middle Eastern country is working on certain “deals” to benefit the 47th president.
“How is this gift not naked corruption?” the New York senator reiterated.
According to ABC News, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi signed off on the Qatari jet, explaining that it was “legally permissible.” Nonetheless, Schumer still expects Bondi to testify before Congress, detailing whether the transfer violates the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.
Despite complaints from liberals and leftists, the GOP president applauded surfacing reports from outlets disclosing the Boeing 747-8 jet, calling it “a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE.”
“So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” he posted on his Truth Social.
“We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One,” he also told reporters at the White House on Monday.
Additionally, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) chimed in to express that his party would do things “the hard way” — if necessary. However, he also expressed slight discomfort with the deal, telling reporters there are “lots of issues associated with that offer which I think need to be further talked about.”
“Senator Schumer and his anti-law-and-order party are prioritizing politics over critical DOJ appointments, obstructing President Trump’s Make Safe Again agenda,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields added in a statement.
“Cryin’ Chuck must end the antics, stop Senate stonewalling, and prioritize the safety and civil rights of Americans.”
More than 31 foreign agents of Qatar are currently working within the U.S., according to the DOJ’s FARA database.
“The American people overwhelmingly elected President Trump to nominate highly qualified candidates at the Department of Justice who will Make America Safe Again, and the Senate should do its part by confirming these nominees,” a spokesperson for the department said.
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