Official 1: "Sir, why don't we just gift him the plane?"
Official 2: "You mean THE plane? THAT plane?"
2: Yes, sir. With everything already installed and embedded.
1: It's an interesting suggestion, but do you really believe that he's stupid enough to accept a gift like that?
2: Sir, he kept overflowing cardboard boxes of top secret United States documents piled up in a guest bathroom at his home.
1: Get on it. You're promoted.
@lauren You have to admire the shell game. The plane doesn't go to him, it goes to the USAF to be AF1. Except that, later, it goes to his "Presidential library" for "preservation". Nope. Not an emolument. Not at all. And, it's an "Official Act", so he is preemptively legal per the SCROTUS.
This plane will cost billions, first to clean it of bugs, and then to add the crypto and security gear. They'll likely have to take it apart, x-ray everything, then treat it like it was fresh from Boeing.
Lauren Weinstein
PirateRo