The recent revelation that Donald Trump is preparing to accept a $400 million plane from Qatar to replace Air Force One has been leading the news cycle for three days now. For better or worse, it has taken precedence over his junket to the Middle East, his phony trade deals with the UK and China, his unlawful and unenforceable drug price reductions, and his efforts to defy the constitutional protection of habeas Corpus laws.

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Naturally, Trump’s always predictable reaction to the torrent of criticism that he has received for his latest self-enriching enterprise has been predominantly to deny, lie, and insult his critics, whether they be Democrats, Republicans, or journalists. Especially journalists…

SEE THIS: Scaredy Trump Attacks Reporter to Dodge Questions About His $400 Million Gift Plane from Qatar

Fortunately for Trump, he will always have Fox News to carry water for him as he seeks to flood the zone with bullpucky and gaslight his gullible cult disciples. To that end, the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends embarked on a path of shameless Trump-fluffing to absolve him of any guilt for eagerly grabbing the gift of a flying palace from a Middle Eastern nation with whom he is doing business. Spinning furiously, they said that…

Brian Kilmeade: The question is the optics. What does Qatar want in return for a multi billion dollar plane?
Lawrence Jones: I think we would be crazy not to accept the plane. I think people have been watching way too many spy movies. And if you think the United States government and our Defense Department is not going to strip the plane – everybody is talking about technology. Could they be spying on us? Of course. We have foreign assets that want to spy on us. But they are not going to take the plane as is. They will break it apart. They will put the necessary military assets on there. The technology is there.
Kilmeade: Flip the couches to the other side.
Jones: I think it’s a gift. I think it’s totally okay.
Ainsley Earhardt: Look, the left is going crazy about this. But they have to be careful. They are fine with Harvard getting all these gifts from these Middle Eastern countries. And Bill Ackman says “the hypocrisy is staggering. If the Pentagon took a $400 million plane from Qatar, it would rightly spark outrage over foreign influence. Yet universities pocket billions from the same regimes and get a free pass.” American universities are getting billions in gifts from foreign countries and they are okay with that. Remember Barack Obama supported Harvard for going after Trump?

Jones is parroting Trump himself who said that “It would be stupid” not to accept the plane. His reasoning rested solely on the claim that it’s free. Let’s get back to that nonsense in moment. First, let’s note that free gifts are not permitted under the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause. And it would be ridiculous to suggest that just because something is free that it’s okay. Would it be okay for someone with matters pending before a senator or a judge to give them a free Mercedes or Rolex?

As to whether the plane is actually free, NBC News reports that it could cost more than a billion dollars to “strip the plane” and then rebuild it with the added security enhancements that the president’s plane requires. Plus it could take years to complete the transformation. So the planes currently being built by Boeing to replace Air force One could be delivered first. And Trump would end up getting a free plane for his library that was never used as Air Force One.

Perhaps the most preposterous take in this Fox News segment is Earhardt’s comparison of Trump accepting a multimillion plane from a foreign government, to Harvard accepting academic donations. To begin with, Earhardt is actually agreeing that Trump’s acceptance of the plane is improper and “would rightly spark outrage over foreign influence.” Her complaint is only that Democrats might be hypocritical for not also being outraged about Harvard. Which is not even remotely similar.

Unlike Trump’s gift, there is nothing in the Constitution prohibiting Harvard from taking such donations. Harvard isn’t using those funds in any endeavor that would impact national security. In fact, as reported by The Harvard Crimson, they are used for financial aid, graduate fellowships, research funding, and related educational and operational expenses. And the donations they receive are fully disclosed as required by law.

Trying to equate Trump, a known felon with 34 convictions for financial fraud, and his breach of constitutional law, to Harvard’s commonplace and legal academic fundraising, is really just a demonstration of how desperate Fox News is to find any justification for an unjustifiable act by a criminal president. And that desperation only makes their failure more apparent and pathetic.

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