Maddow Blog | Trump's Struggle With Defending Qatar's Luxury Jet "Gift" Reveals Republican Split

With just weeks remaining before Election Day 2016, Donald Trump faced off against Hillary Clinton for the third and final presidential debate of the cycle, and the Republican appeared enthusiastic to discuss The Clinton Foundation — or more precisely, its Middle Eastern contributors.

Saudi Arabia contributing $25 million, Qatar, along with all these other countries, Trump said You discuss women and women's rights? These are individuals who throw gay people from buildings. They murder women and mistreat them terribly. Yet you accept their money.

After the election, the president continued down the same path, spending part of his first term criticizing Qatar as a backward state-supporting terrorism .

His attitudes apparently evolved over time, however, especially as the Trump Organization pursued business opportunities in the Middle East. Now, nearly a decade after Trump condemned Clinton for being the indirect beneficiary of Qatari generosity, the Republican is enthusiastic about taking delivery of an ultra-luxurious Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet From his friends in Qatar.

A New York Times analysis highlighted the ways in which the president is raising red flags about corruption that eclipse some of the dramatic controversies from his first term.

The analysis pointed out that Trump isn’t worried about legal repercussions, as Republican-nominated Supreme Court judges have essentially placed the presidency beyond the reach of the law. Additionally, he isn’t concerned about legislative oversight, due to loyal GOP members who control the majority in both houses of Congress.

That latter aspect is what particularly catches my attention.

“The deeply chilling part of this bribe and national security betrayal from the president is just how blatant and erroneous what he’s doing is,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said as the controversy intensified. “He’s almost daring Republicans to stand up to him and defend our country.”

The Democratic representative from New York added, "So, where are our Republican colleagues when it comes to this sort of blatant, dirty, terrible self-gain?"

It’s hardly an unreasonable question. This apparent arrangement raises legal, ethical, political, mechanical, financial, and national security concerns. Are there any GOP lawmakers prepared to acknowledge reality?

To date, no Senate Republicans have publicly called on the White House to reject the “gift,” but some came close. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, for example, described the plan as “a mistake” and “not worth the appearance of impropriety.” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also sounded a note of skepticism , while Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin called Qatar’s offer “pretty strange.”

But other GOP partisans were eager to repeat what the president desired they should communicate For instance, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy drew a parallel between the jet and France presenting the U.S. with the Statue of Liberty—I believe he wasn't being facetious—while Oklahoma’s Senator Markwayne Mullin indicated that Congress would likely endorse such an arrangement willingly.

My personal top pick was Republican Senator Rick Scott from Florida. who said “ ‘Wow, let me offer you a plane.’ That sounds quite generous, but since they back Hamas, I’m not sure about it.”

As the president continues to struggle To develop a cohesive defense, Senate Democrats are planning to compel a vote In the following days, we will see a vote rejecting the proposal. Stay tuned.

The article was initially published here CryptoScope Daily