Mike Pence warns of security risk of Trump accepting a plane from nation with powerful Hamas ties [View all]
Source: The Independent
Saturday 17 May 2025 07:21 BST
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday warned of the possible security risks of Donald Trump accepting a free Air Force One replacement from a country with powerful ties to Hamas. President Trump appears to be set on accepting a luxurious, $400 million “flying palace” aircraft to be his next Air Force One from Qatar, a significant, deep-pocketed funder of Mideast terrorist group Hamas.
Many critics complain that accepting such a gift is essentially a bribe and an alarming conflict of interest for Trump. Pence agrees that raises significant constitutional concerns – but he also worries about Trump’s safety and the nation’s, given Qatar’s checkered past with terrorists.
"First we’ve got to remember who Qatar is. We’ve got a military base there. I have members of our immediate family that have deployed to the region," Pence told NBC News in an interview from his Indiana home for Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” a portion of which NBC reported on Friday.
"But Qatar has a long history of playing both sides," Pence warned. “They support Hamas. They supported Al Qaeda. Qatar has actually financed pro-Hamas protests on American campuses across the United States,” he added.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mike-pence-trump-qatar-hamas-air-force-one-b2752799.html
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