Many Americans thought the witch hunts were over. But now they’re coming back with a vengeance.
Because Trump was slapped with an investigation straight out of left field.
House Democrats Launch Probe into Trump’s Qatar Jet Deal
House Democrats, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, have initiated a high-stakes investigation into President Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million luxury Boeing 747-8 jet from the Qatari government, raising alarms over potential violations of the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause.
The probe, announced on Thursday, May 15, targets a reported legal memo authored by Attorney General Pam Bondi, which allegedly justifies the transaction as lawful, a claim Democrats argue defies constitutional mandates and aligns with Trump’s pattern of exploiting public office for personal gain.
In a letter to Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington, Raskin and fellow Judiciary Committee Democrats demanded the immediate release of the memo, asserting, “Any legal memo purporting to make such a claim would obviously fly in the face of the text of the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause, which explicitly prohibits the President from accepting any ‘present [or] Emolument… of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State’ unless he has ‘the Consent of Congress.’” The Democrats accused Trump or his associates of potentially soliciting the jet as a bribe, citing Trump’s public frustration with delays in delivering a new Air Force One and the timing of Qatar’s “nice gesture.”
They further noted that the plane’s planned transfer to Trump’s presidential library post-tenure “raises the possibility that this ‘nice gesture’ is intended as a bribe to Donald Trump.”
Constitutional Concerns and Bondi’s Conflict of Interest
The Democrats’ letter highlighted the memo, reportedly drafted by the Office of Legal Counsel and signed by Bondi, which claims it is “legally permissible” for Trump to accept the jet on behalf of the U.S. and later transfer it to his library.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Fox News Digital that Bondi endorsed the memo, but Democrats argue it lacks legitimacy, emphasizing, “The Constitution is clear: Congress — not the Attorney General or the White House Counsel — has the exclusive authority to approve or reject a gift ‘of any kind whatever’ given to the President by a foreign government.”
They also flagged Bondi’s prior role as a registered agent for Qatar, earning $115,000 monthly, as a “significant and obvious conflict of interest,” undermining her impartiality.
The probe seeks all communications and records related to the jet’s transfer and its legal justifications, though Democrats, as the minority party, lack the authority to compel compliance.
Raskin, a long-time critic of Trump’s foreign ties, has been relentless in scrutinizing such dealings since Trump’s first term, framing this investigation as a defense of constitutional integrity against Trump’s transactional approach to governance.
Trump’s Defense and Political Reactions
Trump has vigorously defended the deal, arguing on Truth Social that rejecting the jet would be foolish: “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. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!”
He insists the jet, intended for use as Air Force One until 2029 before being donated to his library, benefits the U.S. government, not him personally.
Senate Republicans, when questioned by Fox News Digital, claimed limited knowledge of the issue, while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sidestepped concerns, stating, “My understanding is it’s not a personal gift for the president of the United States, and other nations give us gifts all the time, but, I’m going to leave it to the administration.”
The muted GOP response reflects Trump’s firm grip on the party, bolstered by his recent diplomatic engagements in the Middle East, including a stop in Qatar.
The investigation points to a clash between Trump’s “America First” rhetoric and accusations of personal enrichment, with Democrats leveraging the Emoluments Clause to challenge what they see as unprecedented corruption. As Raskin’s probe unfolds, it tests the limits of congressional oversight in an era of polarized politics, with Trump’s supporters likely to view it as another partisan attack on his bold leadership.
