Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Monday that there appears to be no limit for Republican support for President Trump, “regardless of the grift or corruption involved.”
“What we’ve seen as a pattern where Republicans may, you know, grumble about some of these things, but at the end of the day, there seems to be no bottom to their support for the president, regardless of the grift or corruption involved,” Van Hollen told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on his show, discussing the pending acceptance of a luxury Boeing plane from Qatar to Trump.
Democrats have slammed the idea of the idea of the gift, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announcing Tuesday that he was placing a hold on every political nominee due to Trump’s pending acceptance of the jet.
“This is not just naked corruption — it is also a grave national security threat,” Schumer said amid floor remarks. “Until the American people learn the truth about this deal, I will do my part to block the galling and truly breathtaking politicization at the Department of Justice.”
Trump on Monday defended the acceptance of the gift, saying he “could be a stupid person and say, ‘Oh no, we don’t want a free plane.’”
“We give free things out, we’ll take one too. And, it helps us out because … we have 40-year-old aircraft,” he added, referencing Air Force One.
Van Hollen said during his CNN appearance that the plane gift “is grift, pure and simple.”
“I mean, the reason we have the Emoluments Clause in the Constitution is to guard against countries essentially trying to buy favor with the president of the United States,” the Maryland Democrat added.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
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