Kamal Ghorui
Melania Trump and some other officials will get to use the controversial private jet of Kristi Noem as the administration purchased it even after Noem was fired.
The Donald Trump administration will not let go of the $70 million jet that former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem leased during her tenure. The Wall Street Journal reported that the administration wants to put the plane to use for the travel of some officials. First Lady Melania Trump will also have access to the jet, which the Journal described as nicer than most other government jets. Kristi Noem leased the jet for her personal travel around the country with her aide and rumored boyfriend Corey Lewandowski. Noem planned to purchase it, and it had been officially meant for high-profile deportations involving diplomatic coordination. ICE was handling the jet’s purchase and ICE officials though after Kristi Noem was fired, the administration would shelve the plan to buy the jet. But following Noem’s ouster, the White House took control over the plane’s purchase. The plane’s use is now approved by top White House officials instead of officials at DHS. The plane ultimately cost about $70 million, a DHS spokeswoman confirmed to WSJ.“ICE purchased this plane before Secretary Mullin was confirmed,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. “This aircraft will be available to cabinet members who need secure command and control and rapid long-range mobility.”
Why is this jet controversial?
The jet was caught in a major controversy as reports indicated that it had luxury amenities that do not go with enforcement jets and that probably Noem was buying it for her personal use. It has a full bedroom, shower facilities, four large flat-screen TVs and even a bar.The funding of this jet also raised a question as Noem was accused of planning to use border funds for the purchase. Noem purchased two Gulfstream G700 luxury jets in October, while the department never had luxury jets before. This was a third plane, a Boeing 737 nicknamed the Big Beautiful Jet. The funding came from the One Big Beautiful Bill’s cash infusion to DHS.The plane is less expensive as Air Force One, which has a full office and bedroom, kitchens, and other high-tech components. But it has more features than Air Force Two, which is used by the vice president.
