WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding the legal justification for President Trump’s attempted acquisition of a private jet as a gift from the royal family of Qatar, which the President has since confirmed.
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Bondi reportedly provided a memo to the White House Counsel’s Office (WHCO) deeming the gift “legally permissible,” despite its unconstitutionality and her clear conflict of interest with Qatar from past lobbying work.
Durbin outlined the gift’s blatant unconstitutionality, writing: “As reported, this gift clearly violates the Constitution and the statutory regime enacted by Congress to govern such gifts. The Constitution unequivocally bestows on Congress the power to control whether any officer of the United States, including the President, may accept a gift ‘from any King, Prince, or foreign State.’”
Durbin underscored the serious questions regarding Bondi’s conflicts of interest with respect to Qatar and her past lobbying work, writing: “[T]here are serious questions about whether you should have recused yourself from this matter. During your confirmation process, you did not list the State of Qatar as a conflict of interest on your Senate Judiciary Questionnaire, despite serving as a lobbyist for this foreign government prior to your confirmation as Attorney General. When I asked you about this during your confirmation hearing, you refused to commit to recusing yourself from matters involving Qatar, but you did commit to ‘consult with the career ethics officials within the Department [of Justice] and make the appropriate decision.’ However, the Department has removed senior career ethics officials and put their duties in the hands of two inexperienced political appointees who are beholden to you for their positions. I wrote to you about this outrageous move three months ago and you have yet to respond.”
Durbin concluded with requests for documentation, writing: “In light of the possibility that the Trump Administration may accept this unprecedented, extraordinary gift from the royal family of Qatar in violation of the Constitution and statutory foreign gift prohibitions enacted by Congress, I ask that you provide the following information and materials no later than May 28, 2025… The memorandum you produced to WHCO concluding that the acceptance of this gift is ‘legally permissible’… The names and titles of the Department ethics officials with whom you consulted on your potential conflict of interest in this matter and any records or materials related to this consultation.”
For a PDF of the letter to Attorney General Bondi, click here.
