Chuck Schumer says he is placing a hold on Trump DOJ nominees amid questions on Qatar's luxury jet gift

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

May 13, 2025, 10:26 AM EDT / Updated May 13, 2025, 10:36 AM EDT


WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he is placing a hold on all Trump Justice Department nominees as he seeks answers on the administration's plan to accept a luxury jet from Qatar to be used as Air Force One.

"In light of the deeply troubling news of a possible Qatari-funded Air Force One, and the reports that the Attorney General personally signed off on this clearly unethical deal, I am announcing a hold on all DOJ political nominees, until we get more answers,” Schumer said on the Senate floor this morning. The minority leader presented a list of questions he has for the Trump administration that he says must be answered before he lifts his hold on nominees.

"President Trump has told the American people this is, 'a free jet.' Does that mean the Qataris are delivering a ready-on-day-one plane with all the security measures already built in? If so, who installed those security measures, and how do we know they were properly installed?" Schumer asked. "If this is, as President Trump promised, a free jet, will the Qataris pay for those highly sensitive installations, or will American taxpayers cover the cost?"

Schumer can’t block these nominees with this tactic, but he can slow down their consideration. It’s not really clear if the Judicial nominees would have already been held for various other reasons, considering the vast majority of Trump nominees have been held in this way already.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/schumer-place-hold-trump-doj-nominees-questions-qatars-luxury-jet-gift-rcna206464

[crud]

1. There have been plenty of reasons to put holds on nominees...

from the very start. It's about time they did it and there is no reason not to put holds on these horrible people.

[tanyev]

3. Yes, starting with the DOGE attack on federal agencies and employees.

About damn time, indeed.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. This makes me smile

I’m heading to the floor of the U.S. Senate right now to announce that I’m placing a hold on all political DOJ appointments until we get answers on Trump's corrupt Qatari plane deal. Tune in.

— Chuck Schumer (@handle.invalid) 2025-05-13T14:24:03.387Z

Link to tweet

[PuraVidaDreamin]

12. My first reaction...

I rolled my eyes thinking, 'What the fuck took you so long?'

[FSogol]

4. Again? That never works.

[NotHardly]

6. Strongly worded memo... such courage :/

[Aristus]

7. These aren't empty words; this is genuine action, probably the best and most effective he can take

as long as the Dems are in the minority. What do you want him to do? Go in with guns blazing?

[3825-87867]

10. You have to ask?

[Cheezoholic]

5. Blue slips Blue Slips! They do it to us every time we have have the Executive. Blue Slip any nominee possible period n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Just like Turtle did

they are starting to balk at "Blue Slips"... again.

Schumer moves to block Trump’s top prosecutors


By Hailey Fuchs and Erica Orden

04/16/2025 10:48 AM EDT
Updated: 04/16/2025 12:15 PM EDT

(snip)

During the first Trump administration, Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley abandoned the practice of requiring approval from home-state senators for circuit court nominees. But since then, the Senate has maintained the blue slip tradition for other nominees, and if Grassley and Senate Majority Leader John Thune were to forge ahead with the two U.S. attorney picks in New York in spite of Schumer’s opposition, they would be bucking a Senate tradition.

(snip)

Will see how long Thune, et al will hold out before they ditch the whole thing again (like Turtle did).

[Bok_Tukalo]

9. What mealy-mouthed garbage. Call it a fucking bribe! Out loud!

Hell, I think Rand Fucking Paul (R-KY) was more critical of the grotesquery.

Every damn Democrat (or Republican, for that matter) who steps up to a podium should start with, "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

[HereForTheParty]

11. So his objection is the cost of reworking it?

[ananda]

13. Gosh, Schumer is actually going to do something?

Yet where was he when much more important things
needed to be stopped or obstructed?

[SouthBayDem]

14. Similarly back in 2006...

Schumer Sends White House List Of Unanswered Questions That Must Be Answered About The Dubai Ports Deal (7/25/2006):

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer sent the following letter President Bush with a list of unanswered questions that must be answered about the Dubai Ports World acquisition of six major U.S. ports on the East Coast, including New York and New Jersey. This $6.8 billion deal is scheduled to be closed on March 2 and was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) last month, although the President wasnt aware of it until after the approval. Except for cargo screening functions performed by the Department of Homeland Security, the Port operator is responsible for securing cargo coming in and out of the port, the port facility itself, and the hiring of security personnel. In light of these critical functions being transferred from a private company based in Britain to a United Arab Emirates governmentowned company based in Dubai, today Schumer urged the President to answer these questions fully. Yesterday Schumer announced that he and Congressman Peter King, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, were introducing emergency legislation to suspend the Dubai port deal.

More context as reported back then by CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Congress sent its first shot across President Bush's bow Wednesday [3/8/2006], as the House Appropriations Committee voted 62-2 to block a controversial deal that would allow Dubai Ports World to operate some terminals at U.S. ports.

The amendment was inserted into an emergency supplemental funding bill for military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill also includes about $19 billion in disaster assistance for the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

[...]

Also Wednesday [3/8/2006], Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, introduced an amendment that would bar a company from operating in a U.S. port if the company is owned by a country that recognized the Taliban's regime in Afghanistan. The UAE is one of three countries that did so, along with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.