Pentagon accepts $130M donation from anonymous Trump ally

Watch Pentagon accepts $130M donation from anonymous Trump ally - Rizzle on Dailymotion

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00:00Pentagon accepts $130 million donation from anonymous Trump ally.

00:05The Pentagon received an early Christmas present in the form of an anonymous $130 million donation.

00:12The gift from an ally of President Donald Trump will help cover pay for military members

00:16during the government shutdown.

00:18According to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, the Defense Department used its General Gift

00:23Acceptance Authority to approve the anonymous donation.

00:27The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members'

00:31salaries and benefits, Parnell said.

00:34We are grateful for this donor's assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.

00:39The Pentagon has not disclosed how many service members' paychecks or payment cycles the donation

00:43will fund.

00:44At the White House, Trump recounted a conversation with a friend whose identity he withheld.

00:50He said the individual had offered to help cover shortfalls from the Democrat shutdown.

00:56Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump added,

00:59He doesn't want publicity.

01:00He prefers that his name not be mentioned, which is pretty unusual in the world I come

01:04from.

01:05And in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned.

01:08Although the government shutdown began on October 1st, service members have continued

01:12working.

01:13Unlike other essential employees, their pay is not guaranteed.

01:17Following President Trump's direction, the Pentagon adjusted the Defense Department's

01:21budget to ensure that the country's 1.3 million active duty troops were paid on October 15th.

01:27Whether funds will be available for their next paychecks remains uncertain.

01:31Democrats raised legal and ethical concerns over Trump's plan to use the donation to pay

01:35military personnel.

01:36A Pentagon policy specifies that gifts may be used for purposes such as maintaining schools,

01:42hospitals, and other facilities, as well as supporting injured service members.

01:47The Department is also obligated to review any gift over $10,000 with ethics officials before

01:51accepting it.

01:53Using anonymous donations to fund our military raises troubling questions of whether our own

01:57troops are at risk of literally being bought and paid for by foreign powers, a spokesman for

02:02U.S. Senator Chris Coons said in a statement.