US defense chief refuses to disclose details of jet gifted by Qatar

WASHINGTON

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday declined to reveal the cost of the luxury jet gifted to the US by Qatar.

Sen. Jack Reed pushed Hegseth about the details of the Boeing 747-8 plane which was given by Qatar to serve as the next Air Force One.

During his visit to the Middle East in May, President Donald Trump's noted he accepted the plane, saying: "Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country."

The Pentagon later announced that the plane had been accepted.

"The secretary of defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations," said chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. "The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the president of the United States."

Reed asked: "You signed a contract with a company to reconfigure the (Qatari jet). What is the price of that contract?”

“That cannot be revealed in this setting,” Hegseth replied during his testimony before the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee along with Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Why can’t it be revealed? This is the Appropriations Committee of the United States Senate. We appropriate the money that you will spend ...and you cannot tell us how much the contract is for. ...We want it now," Reed, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, insisted.

When asked by Sen. Jerry Moran whether the department is in possession of the Qatari airplane now, Hegseth said: "Any specifics about future aircraft that could be Air Force One can’t be discussed here."

“A memorandum of understanding remains to be signed," Hegseth added.

The gift of a plane estimated to cost $400 million has raised questions of ethics and legality from Republicans and Democrats alike.

In response to Sen. Chris Murphy's question, Hegseth confirmed that the Qatari jet would likely be transferred to Trump as a gift at the end of his term.

"The president said on May 12 that this plane would be transferred to his presidential library at the end of his term. Is that your understanding of what is going to happen to this plane?” Murphy asked.

"The president said that, that’s my understanding," Hegseth said.

Murphy, alongside Senators Chris Van Hollen, Brian Schatz, Tim Kaine, Bernie Sanders, Mazie Hirono, and Jeff Merkley, on Wednesday will force a vote in the Senate to block a $1.9 billion arms sale to Qatar and a $1.32 billion arms sale to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).