GOP senator tells CNN Air Force has a classified plan to deal with Qatari gift plane

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, accidentally gave CNN a scoop on Monday during a discussion over Air Force One.

Kaitlan Collins, host of The Source, questioned Rounds about President Donald Trump accepting the $400 million Boeing 747-8 from Qatari royalty. The president has mentioned that he would like to use the jet as the new presidential aircraft, Air Force One, planning to keep it as part of his presidential library once he leaves office.

Collins was curious what the senator thought of the ethical implications of keeping the massive gift.

“Apart from physically being able to use it and retrofit it, are you comfortable with the president flying on a plane that was gifted to him by Qatar?” she asked.

“If we can show the American people that there was a method and a reason why it is beneficial in terms of this transition, I think that will help a lot,” the Republican said.

“And I think there may very well be an argument made that as we transition from the old 747, which are still in service, to the new 747, there’s a number of items that have to be included in each of the 747s. If we can build some of that and then transition it out of one 747 and then into the new one, there may very well be some benefits to that while the old 747s are still flying,” he added.

“So there– and we’ve had a chance to talk to some of the folks in the Air Force, and the Air Force actually does have a plan to be able to work through this. And I’m not gonna get into it because a lot of it’s still classified, but there is a logic that a lot of people aren’t talking about yet. And I probably shouldn’t be breaking that story,” Rounds admitted.

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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