Not trying to buy influence, says Qatar on aircraft offer to Trump

DOHA: Qatar dismissed concerns about its offer to give US President Trump a Boeing plane, saying it was not trying to buy influence, a day after a bill was introduced in senate to prevent a foreign aircraft operating as Air Force One. Qatar's PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Tuesday the offer was "a normal thing that happens between allies".

He said he did not know why people considered the gift as bribery, or a way for Qatar to buy influence with the Trump administration. "But I'm hoping that people in the US and even the politicians over there, they see us as a friend, as a partner, as a reliable partner that we've always been there for the US whenever we were needed," he said in Doha. US senator (D) Chuck Schumer introduced the "Presidential Airlift Security Act' after news Trump planned to accept a $400 million airplane from Qatar, which legal experts said raised a raft of questions about the scope of laws that relate to gifts from foreign govts and are intended to thwart corruption and improper influence. Trump shrugged off ethical concerns, saying it would be "stupid" to turn down the generous offer.