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 during the government shutdown.
00:19According to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, the Defense Department used its General Gift Acceptance 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' salaries and benefits, Parnell said.
00:35We are grateful for this donor's assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.
00:40The Pentagon has not disclosed how many service members' paychecks or payment cycles the donation will fund.
00:45At the White House, Trump recounted a conversation with a friend whose identity he withheld.
00:51He said the individual had offered to help cover shortfalls from the Democrat shutdown.
00:56Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump added,
01:00He doesn't want publicity.
01:02He prefers that his name not be mentioned, which is pretty unusual in the world I come from.
01:07And in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned.
01:10Although the government shutdown began on October 1st, service members have continued working.
01:15Unlike other essential employees, their pay is not guaranteed.
01:18Following President Trump's direction, the Pentagon adjusted the Defense Department's budget to ensure that the country's 1.3 million active-duty troops were paid on October 15th.
01:28Whether funds will be available for their next paychecks remains uncertain.
01:32Democrats raise legal and ethical concerns over Trump's plan to use the donation to pay military personnel.
01:37A Pentagon policy specifies that gifts may be used for purposes such as maintaining schools, hospitals, and other facilities, as well as supporting injured service members.
01:48The department is also obligated to review any gift over $10,000 with ethics officials before accepting it.
01:55Using anonymous donations to fund our military raises troubling questions of whether our own troops are at risk of literally being bought and paid for by foreign powers.
02:03A spokesman for U.S. Senator Chris Coons said in a statement.
Be the first to comment