As Trump pushes diplomacy in Middle East, Qatar’s deals with his family spark ethics questions
>> Maurice: I’M MAURICE DuBOIS. >> John: PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND DAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST WAS ABOUT BILLION-DOLLAR DEALS AND A FORMER TERRORIST WHO ONCE HAD A $10 MILLION PRICE ON HIS HEAD. >> Maurice: HE IS NOW THE INTERIM PRESIDENT OF SYRIA, AHMED AL-SHARAA, AFTER OUSTING THE ASSAD REGIME. HIS MEETING WITH MR. TRUMP IN SAUDI ARABIA TODAY WAS THE FIRST BETWEEN U.S. AND SYRIAN LEADERS IN A QUARTER-CENTURY. >> John: FAMILIES OF THE ISRAELIS HELD HOSTAGE IN GAZA BY HAMAS HOPE THAT WHILE THE PRESIDENT IS IN THE REGION, HE WILL TURN HIS ATTENTION TO GETTING THEIR LOVED ONES RELEASED. >> Maurice: WE WILL HAVE MORE ABOUT THAT LATER IN THE BROADCAST, BUT WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH MARGARET BRENNAN IN WASHINGTON AND NANCY CORDES, WHO IS TRAVELING WITH THE PRESIDENT IN QATAR. NANCY? >> Reporter: MAURICE, AS THE PRESIDENT LOOKED ON TODAY, THE EMIR OF QATAR VOWED TO SPEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON U.S. DRONES AND BOEING JETS. BUT THE PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO THIS NATION IS ALSO SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON QATAR’S NEW INVESTMENTS WITH THE TRUMP FAMILY, WHICH CRITICS SAY MAY BE LEGAL BUT PRESENT THE KIND OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION HAD PLEDGED TO AVOID. ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER LAVISH WELCOME IN THE MIDDLE EAST. >> NICE. >> Reporter: THIS TIME IT WAS THE SMALL, OIL-RICH NATION OF QATAR HAILING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ARRIVAL WITH CAMELS, CUSTOM CYBERTRUCKS, AND SWORD DANCERS. QATAR’S EMIR, WHO GREETED TRUMP AT THE BASE OF AIR FORCE ONE, IS THE MAN WHO JUST OFFERED TO REPLACE IT WITH A $400 MILLION JUMBO JET, FREE OF CHARGE. >> LONG BEFORE ANY OF THIS STUFF, WE JUST LIKED EACH OTHER. THAT’S NOT A BAD THING. THAT’S A GOOD THING. >> Reporter: QATAR HAS TAKEN A SPECIAL INTEREST IN THE TRUMP FAMILY. JUST TWO WEEKS AGO, THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, RUN BY TRUMP’S SONS, SIGNED A DEAL WITH A GOVERNMENT-OWNED DEVELOPER TO BUILD A 200-ACRE LUXURY GOLF RESORT OUTSIDE DOHA. IN THE NEIGHBORING UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, WHERE TRUMP WILL BE TOMORROW, A GOVERNMENT-BACKED FUND AGREED THIS MONTH TO DO A $2 BILLION INVESTMENT DEAL USING A TRUMP FIRM’S DIGITAL COINS. >> IT’S GROSS. IT’S TERRIBLE FOR U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY. >> Reporter: CONNECTICUT DEMOCRAT CHRIS MURPHY SAYS HE’LL TRY TO FORCE A SENATE VOTE ON ARMS SALES TO ANY GOVERNMENT THAT DOES PERSONAL BUSINESS WITH TRUMP’S FAMILY. >> I DON’T KNOW WHY EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF CONGRESS IS AN OUTRAGE THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS INVOLVED IN OPEN, SEWER-GRADE CORRUPTION, ACCEPTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN PAYMENTS FROM FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS IN EXCHANGE FOR FAVORS. >> Reporter: DESPITE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE OF THE FAMILY’S DEALS, TRUMP INSISTED AGAIN TODAY THAT HE’S IN THE DARK. >> I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I REALLY DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. BUT I’M A BIG CRYPTO FAN, I WILL TELL YOU. I’VE BEEN THAT FROM THE BEGINNING, RIGHT FROM THE CAMPAIGN. >> Reporter: I’M MARGARET BRENNAN REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON. IN JUST SIX MONTHS, AHMED AL-SHARAA WENT FROM ISLAMIST REBEL TO SHAKING HANDS WITH AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT. THE FIRST SYRIAN PRESIDENT IN 25 YEARS TO DO SO. >> YOUNG, ATTRACTIVE GUY. TOUGH GUY. YOU KNOW, STRONG PAST. >> Reporter: SYRIANS CELEBRATED TRUMP’S DECISION TO BEGIN NORMALIZING RELATIONS. >> I WILL BE ORDERING THE CESSATION OF SANCTIONS AGAINST SYRIA IN ORDER TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE AT GREATNESS. >> Reporter: UNTIL DECEMBER, THE U.S. HAD A $10 MILLION BOUNTY ON AL-SHARAA, KNOWN THEN AS MOHAMMAD AL-JULANI. HE’D FOUGHT AMERICAN FORCES IN IRAQ AND LATER FOUNDED IN AL QAEDA OFFSHOOT IN SYRIA, LEADING THEM TO OUST DICTATOR BASHAR AL-ASSAD. SYRIAN AMERICAN ACTIVIST MOUAZ MOUSTAFA IS HELPING REBUILD SEVERED TIES. IS HE REALLY A CHANGED MAN? >> HE IS 100% IS A CHANGED MAN. >> Reporter: HOW DO YOU KNOW? >> WELL, LET’S JUDGE HIM HIS ACTIONS. I’M NOT HERE TO SEE ANY OF HIS DECISIONS AND HIS CHECKERED PAST IS NOT EXISTENT. BUT THE FACT IS THIS IS A CHANGED MAN, AND THIS IS A PERSON WHO IS NOT INTERESTED IN ANYTHING BUT REBUILDING THE COUNTRY, AND WANTS TO SEE PEACE WITH ALL OF THE NEIGHBORS, WANTS TO STAY OUT OF WAR WITH EVERYONE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. >> Reporter: SO WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MEETING WITH AHMED AL-SHARAA? >> I THINK IT IS A TRANSFORMATIVE MOMENT FOR THE MIDDLE EAST. MILLIONS OF SYRIANS CAN NOW RETURN HOME. IT MEANS THAT WHEN THE TIME COMES, THE UNITED STATES CAN MAKE AN ORDERLY WITHDRAWAL OF U.S. TROOPS, AND IT MEANS THAT CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN, AND ISIS CAN NO LONGER HAVE A FOOTHOLD IN SYRIA, AND THAT IS GREAT FOR THE ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST. >> John: GROUND US A LITTLE BIT MORE HERE ON SYRIA. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY? >> Reporter: WELL, JOHN, THERE ARE ROUGHLY 2,000 U.S. TROOPS IN SYRIA. SOME OF THEM ARE AROUND OIL FIELDS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS U.S. FIRMS TO INVEST IN. OTHERS ARE HELPING TO KEEP ISIS AND TERROR GROUPS AT BAY. EVENTUALLY PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS AL-SHARAA TO TAKE CONTROL OF SOME OF THE CAMPS WHERE THOSE FIGHTERS ARE HELD. IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT TO TWO U.S. ADVERSARIES. IRAN HAS USED SYRIA AS A LAND BRIDGE TO DELIVER WEAPONS AND SUPPLIES TO ITS MILITIAS, AND RUSSIA HAS TWO MILITARY BASES THERE, SO THAT MEANS SIDELINING THOSE ADVERSARIES WOULD HELP THE U.S. >> Maurice: MARGARET, A WHOLE LOT OF STAGECRAFT AND THEATER AROUND THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, BUT IS IT A DONE DEAL YET? >> Reporter: IT’S NOT COMPLETELY DONE, MAURICE. THE SAUDI CROWN PRINCE AND THE TURKISH PRESIDENT ASKED PRESIDENT TRUMP TO DO THIS, AND THERE WERE CHEERS IN THE ROOM, BUT AHMED AL-SHARAA IS STILL TECHNICALLY DESIGNATED AS A TERRORIST BY THE UNITED NATIONS. THE GROUP HE LED IS DESIGNATED AS A TERROR GROUP UNDER U.S. LAW. SO AMERICAN INVESTMENT AND SUPPORT MAY NOT JUST FLOW RIGHT BA
As President Trump meets with Middle East leaders, his family’s business dealings in the region are drawing scrutiny. Nancy Cordes reports. Then, Margaret Brennan looks at the rise of Syria’s new leader who formerly fought American forces as an Islamist rebel in Iraq.
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27 Comments
Trumpe a certified gangster 😎😂
CBS mmhh..Oh ok let Biden cut the deals better and then you will see and be satisfied like in the last 4 years!!He did very well.. The world is watching..and we already know the play books.NCSWIC.
Corruption at the highest level
I think he is a fool and love money.
"Sparks ethics questions"?
Its AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION.
"The foreign emoluments clause also broadly encompasses any kind of profit, benefit, advantage, or service, not merely gifts of money or valuable objects. Thus, it would prohibit a federal officeholder from receiving special consideration in business transactions with a foreign state (or with a corporation owned or managed by a foreign state) that gave the officeholder a competitive advantage over other businesses. Arguably, as the legal scholar Laurence Tribe and others have suggested, the clause would forbid even competitively fair transactions with foreign states, because the profit accruing to the officeholder would fall within the ordinary meaning of “emolument,” and because such arrangements would threaten exactly the kind of improper influence that the emoluments clause was intended to prevent."
Now for the plane:
"The foreign emoluments clause also broadly encompasses any kind of profit, benefit, advantage, or service, not merely gifts of money or valuable objects. Thus, it would prohibit a federal officeholder from receiving special consideration in business transactions with a foreign state (or with a corporation owned or managed by a foreign state) that gave the officeholder a competitive advantage over other businesses. Arguably, as the legal scholar Laurence Tribe and others have suggested, the clause would forbid even competitively fair transactions with foreign states, because the profit accruing to the officeholder would fall within the ordinary meaning of “emolument,” and because such arrangements would threaten exactly the kind of improper influence that the emoluments clause was intended to prevent."
Oh, goody. Here’s the CBS fake news trying to fault Our President. — yawn. Goodnight.
History repeats its self the trojon horse gift .
Ethics lol
PRESIDENT TRUMP is the only USA president who shook hands with 50 or more people who waited in line upon arrival in QATAR. And the only president who campaigned worldwide, WORLD PEACE AND PROSPERITY, TRADE NOT TERRORISM, AND COMMON SENSE NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT.
THE BIGGEST LIE EVER TOLD TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE 🇺🇸 SO HELP US GOD 👀
At least we're getting something from the Arabs. More than can be said about Israel. Talk about subsidizing.
Donald trump !!!! Al mighty gods of puppets Arabs 😢😢😢
CBS News is such a dork.. President Trump is making huge deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to benefit the American people. ✊🇺🇸🕺
Donald trumps!!! Are you agreed MBS is not involved murders of soudie American 🇺🇸 journalist jamal kashokeee???
If MBS is not gave 7 billions dollars for you ( Donald trump) delete all evidence of jamal kashokee murders?? 😢😢😢
Syria 🇸🇾 & al shara !!! In other newly established & occupied puppets states of American 🇺🇸 & Isreal
Like Jordan 🇯🇴 Egypt 🇪🇬 Turkey 🇹🇷 soudi Arabia 😢😢😢
Trump is a best president ever ♥️
There was a time when powerful countries had to invade, lose manpower, and possibly kings to loot the other nations of their wealth. Here, the suck-up kings in Arab nations welcome the head of a powerful country and valentarily give about 2 trillion dollars to the richest and most powerful country, while many of their residents live in poverty. They show the ghettos and crumbling neighborhoods in their videos, just the well-paved roads and empty high-rise buildings to show progress. These kings and the ruling class of these kingdoms shall be ashamed of themselves.
Hatred for Trump again
Will someone tell this Brit if this aircraft from Quatar is a gift to Trump himself or to the US itself.
I keep reading that he is doing this for his own financial gain but I dont know how exactly he himself financially gains from this , can someone explain to me how he does gain
The leader of Syria seems to be a good human being. He has great respect for Mr. Trump. Hope he remains this way and does not get influenced by evil human rulers.
Media did not even talk about all those curruption that was exposed by DOGE , that's why no one likes fake Media 😂
The trith is Trump is afraid of the enemies – Russia and the Middle East.
CBS is fake and biased news 🚫❌👎
😅N.Korean leader was far more Power & dangerous yet President Trump knew how to cut the deal with him. You think he cant handle a torn down nation like Syria ? Have some faith and CBS, dont wet your pants 👖 yet about syria.
Protection money and money power diplomacy.
I never thought that I will live to see America begging like this Arabs now swim in big pool of money