Moulton: Congress Should Focus on Fixing Boeing over Qatar Jet Gift, and So Should Trump

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “AC360,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) argued that President Donald Trump should focus on dealing with the issues with Boeing instead of trying to make the gift jet from Qatar work, but “What Congress should be doing is actually focusing some effort on fixing the problems at Boeing, because those are legitimate problems.”

Moulton said that checking the plane for any surveillance equipment would require completely taking it apart and putting it back together, which would “cost a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of effort that, frankly, should be just directed to fixing the problems at Boeing and getting the planes that the President ordered back on track.”

Later, host Anderson Cooper asked, “Can Congress do anything other than complain about it?”

Moulton responded that it isn’t likely much will happen in Congress, and “What Congress should be doing is actually focusing some effort on fixing the problems at Boeing, because those are legitimate problems. I don’t want the door flying off my plane any more than the next guy when I’m on a flight. Those are things that need to be fixed. And when United Airlines or American Airlines or Delta can’t get [their] planes delivered on time, they’re not just going to borrow jets from the Middle East, any more than an F-18 fighter pilot  — F-18s are made by Boeing — can just borrow a Middle Eastern jet. So, rather than just take this gift, let’s focus our efforts on actually fixing the problem and get these American-made planes produced on time.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett