Pete Hegseth, United States secretary of defence, has accepted a Boeing 747 plane gift from Qatar intended to serve President Donald Trump.
Sean Parnell, spokesperson for the Pentagon, confirmed receipt of the luxury plane in a statement on Wednesday.
Parnell said Trump will use the plane once the Pentagon upgrades it to include “proper security measures and functional-mission requirements”.
He said the acceptance was in “accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” ending public concerns that had risen about the ethical justification of the gift.
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The 13-year-old aircraft is said to cost about $400 million.
Earlier this month, when reports surfaced about the Qatari royal family’s intention to gift Trump the plane, Pam Bondi, attorney general, and David Warrington, Trump’s top White House lawyer, were said to have draughted documents concluding that it would be “legally permissible” for the president to receive the donation.
They also argued that it was acceptable for the aircraft to be turned over to the Trump library, adding that it did not violate laws against bribery or the constitution’s prohibition of any US government official accepting gifts “from any king, prince or foreign state”.
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Last week, Trump visited Qatar as part of his four-day state visit to the Middle Eastern region.
Qatar, alongside the United Arab Emirates (UAE), committed to investing $1.4 trillion in the US over the next decade.
The trip was part of Trump’s efforts to woo investors to the US.
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