On October 10, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the completion of an agreement with Qatar, which will allow its Emiri Air Force to construct a facility in Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Force Base.
Qatar will join the Singaporean Air Force in having a presence in this base.
In yet another cavalier display for the White House and its Pentagon, the top staff associated with Idaho’s Governor, Brad Little, and Idaho’s Senator Jim Risch, were not informed of the deal. This is despite Risch’s role as chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
A text message from Risch’s Chief of Staff Ryan White to Little’s Chief of Staff Zach Hauge included a post about the announcement and said, “this was news to us,” to which Hague responded, “same,” according to public records obtained by the Idaho Capital Sun.
Idaho Capital Sun
While Qatar will not have a base of its own on American soil, the Trump administration’s intention behind allowing Qatar to have access to American bases is questionable, as it comes after the Middle Eastern dictatorship bribed Trump with a Boeing jet and the Trump Organization cooperating with Qatari Diar on real estate and golf courses. Just over one week ago, Trump signed an executive order that pledged to defend Qatar.
The line between Trump’s personal interests and America’s national security interests is being increasingly blurred.
