Gifts received by Trump in the Middle East, “unprecedented”. “You will see Qatar and the Arab Emirates in a kind of war of offers”

Former lawyers of the White House, diplomatic protocol officers and foreign business experts told The Guardian that the gifts received by Donald Trump and investments are “unprecedented”.

Donald Trump/Photo: X.

The opening of foreign generosity was fully visible this week, when the US president was celebrated in the Gulf states during his first major diplomatic journey abroad, concluding agreements that he said is worth trillion dollars and pressure on local investment leaders, writes The Guardian.

At the same time, the president states that he restores US foreign policy to give priority “America in the first place” – leaving aside concerns about human rights or international law for the profit of American enterprises and taxpayers.

The wealth of the Trump family has increased by more than $ 3 billion, according to press estimates, and the benefits reported in cryptocurrencies and other investment businesses, such as plans for new Trump family properties could be much larger.

Trump's business partners have concluded contracts worth other billions, which means that their political support for the White House can translate into profitable contracts abroad.

“When we negotiate with other countries, the concern is that our negotiation position will change if someone does a favor or gives a gift to the President of the United States“Said Richard Painter, the chief lawyer of the White House charged with ethics in George W Bush's administration.

Qatar offered the US an aircraft worth $ 400 million

Others claim that the message transmitted by the White House is that American foreign policy is sold to the most bid.

“Trump put a sale announcement in front of the White House”, Stated Norm Eisen, executive director of the State Democracy Defenders Fund and a legal support group “Tsar of ethics“Of the White House and Ambassador in the Czech Republic under Barack Obama.

“Of course you will see Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in a kind of offers war. Qatar says: “I give you a $ 400 million plane“, And the United Arab Emirates say:”I give your cryptography company $ 2 billion”.

This week, Qatar offered to offer the US Department of Defense a Boeing 747-8 worth $ 400 million, which Trump had suggested it could be used as Air Force One and then transferred to the Presidential Administration after leaving the position.

The plane became a lighthouse among the American democrats, and the critics claimed that he violates the clause of the Emoluments in the Constitution, which forbids the president to receive gifts from foreign entities.

Trump called the plane a “wonderful gesture“From the Qatar and said that it would be”stupid“From his part he does not accept the gift.

Painter suggested that he would be similar to King George III who gave George Washington a copy of the royal diligence to use it during his mandate. “Do you think the founders would not have considered this a bribe?“He said.

But the Gulf states offered other incentives, including an investment of $ 2 billion from an EAU controlled fund in a stable currency related to Trump, which could stimulate the president to model foreign policy in favor of Abu Dhabi.

Is it legal or not?

The gifts, and especially the potential gift of a plane, have led to a series of denunciations in the Capitol, while they are trying to create an impulse for a legislative initiative.

“This is not America in the first place. This is not what promised the American people. This is Trump in the first place“said Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator in Connecticut.

But is it illegal? Since Qatar would provide the defense department plane, some experts said it may not directly violate the emolument clause or other laws, even if Trump would use the plane during the mandate.

The past administrations would have fled the conflicts of interest perceived and welcomed by Trump. Former counselors on Ethics issues at the White House have described crises such as a golf state tried to provide a rolex to a national security counselor or the one in which the Boston Red Sox tried to give a gift to the head of the White House a baseball stick signed by all the players (the recipient was forced to pay.

Eisen said that he forbade Obama even to refinance the mortgage on his Chicago house because of his ability to influence the market.

“The status quo was to say no, because it is a conflict of real and apparent interests, and could endanger our internal and external policies ”said Amey. “Certainly does not pass the smell test for a lot of Americans. ”

Generous gifts and other investments come in the context in which Trump remodels American policy in the Middle East, giving up Israel and orienting to the Gulf states, in a series of agreements that could bring considerable benefits to both parties. Trump's family and other counselors, such as Steve Witkoff, with interests in the golf states, are closely involved.

While potential gifts such as a plane cannot be hidden, the potential to secretly transfer billions of dollars to cryptocurrency deeply worries supervisory organizations, political opposition and other foreign observers.

A little known company, related to China, which did not record revenue last year, bought this week a Trump MEME currency worth $ 300 million, increasing the concern about the penetration of black foreign money.

The democrats in the Senate demanded the rewrite of Genius Act, the legislation supported by Trump, which they say would provide for too lax regulation of the so-called stablecoins, in order to forbid it.

“If the Congress overloads the use of Stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies, it must include guarantees that make it difficult to exploit the financial system by criminals, terrorists and foreign opponents and endanger our national security.”, It is shown in the report.

The avalanche of foreign money was angry with the former officials who used to follow carefully to offer gifts and other goods from foreign governments.

The rules can be “annoying and somewhat stupid, but it is what separates the good from the wicked, in terms of corruption and good governance,” said Rufus Gifford, a former head of the State Department, who also follows the gifts offered to American officials by foreign governments.