On August 6, Democratic Senators warned that Trump was attempting to steal funds from the Air Force nuclear modernization program to retrofit his Qatari bribe, which came in the form of a jet which he ultimately intends to use personally.
The plan is to use up to $934 million from the “Sentinel” program to retrofit his jet.
The Senators warned that the use of these funds for such a vanity project amounts to a violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution. Unusually, they were joined by partisan Republican Senators Mitch McConnell and Deb Fischer, who also warned (in general) about the “Sentinel” project being used as a slush fund for Presidents.
The Democrats demanded cost estimates in relation to retrofitting the jet, and to know if the Defense Department would be responsible for paying for future modifications.
