Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday a "hold on all DOJ political nominees," as he is demanding answers from the Trump administration over a jumbo jet gift from Qatar's royal family, which the Democrat is calling a "grave national security threat." 

"News of the Qatari government gifting Donald Trump a $400 million private jet to use as Air Force One is so corrupt that even Putin would give a double take. This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat," Schumer said on the Senate floor. 

"So, in light of the deeply troubling news of a possible Qatari-funded Air Force One, and the reports that the Attorney General personally signed off on this clearly unethical deal, I am announcing a hold on all DOJ political nominees, until we get more answers," he added. 

A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital in response that "Senator Schumer and his anti-law-and-order party are prioritizing politics over critical DOJ appointments, obstructing President Trump’s Make Safe Again agenda," and that "Cryin’ Chuck must end the antics, stop Senate stonewalling, and prioritize the safety and civil rights of Americans." 

ALLIES TURN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR ACCEPTING LUXURY JET FROM QATAR 

Trump has defended the U.S. preparing to accept a jumbo jet gift from Qatar's royal family to serve as a temporary Air Force One as Boeing failed to roll out a new Air Force One fleet in a timely manner.  

"We're very disappointed that it's taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One," Trump said Monday morning. "You know, we have an Air Force One that's 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it's not even the same ballgame."  

Reports spread Sunday morning that the Trump administration was expected to accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar's royal family. ABC News reported that Trump would use the jet until the end of his term, when it would be given to his presidential library. 

TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET 

In his speech Tuesday, Schumer said he is calling on the Justice Department’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit to disclose all actions by those working as Qatari foreign agents in the U.S. "that could benefit President Trump or the Trump Organization." 

"Since Attorney General Bondi took charge, the Department of Justice has not been doing its job when it comes to FARA. The FARA Unit needs to enforce the law, and inform the public about all activities not just on this luxury plane deal, but all deals involving foreign countries in the Middle East and President Trump, his family, and the Trump organization," he said. 

"Second, with regards to this half-a-billion-dollar private jet deal, the American people deserve to know the facts. President Trump has told the American people that this is a ‘free jet.’ Does that mean the Qataris are delivering a ready-on-day-one plane with all the security measures already built in?" Schumer continued. 

"If so, who installed those security measures, and how do we know they were properly installed? Why would we take the risk of trusting any foreign country to do this sensitive work? If not, what security modifications would be needed to ensure a foreign-sourced Air Force One is safe to use? If this is, as President Trump promised, a ‘free jet’, will the Qataris pay for those highly sensitive installations or will American taxpayers have to cover those costs?" Schumer wondered aloud on the Senate floor. 

"The Attorney General must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause – which requires congressional approval – or any other ethics laws," Schumer declared. "Until the Attorney General explains her blatantly inept decision and we get complete and comprehensive answers to these and other questions, I will place a hold on all political nominees to the Department Of Justice." 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

NEWARK, N.J. - Large yellow barricades were at the front of Delaney Hall on Tuesday morning following protests at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Monday and last week.

An ICE officer told Fox News Digital that the barricades were placed following Monday’s protests, as they went all the way up to the gate itself. In addition to the barricades, signs are up saying "private property, no trespassing, violators will be prosecuted."

The facility is operated by the GEO Group, a private contractor, but law enforcement is also heavily present outside the building.

WHO IS THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT AN ICE DETENTION CENTER?

Two people were arrested at the protest on Monday, as a demonstration of clergy members were in attendance and said they would have "volunteered" to be taken into custody. They linked arms outside the main gate of Delaney Hall as they chanted and sang songs.

This protest came after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democratic candidate for governor, was arrested for trespassing last week.

Baraka's arrest occurred during a protest at the facility attended by three members of Congress, who said they were in attendance to perform their congressionally-mandated oversight duties related to federal detention facilities. The three lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in.

The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The lawmakers, including Rep. LaMonica McIver, said "ICE created chaos" that led to the incident, according to an X post.

"We're not asking for anything that's incorrect. We ask them to obey our laws," Baraka said after the incident. "To obey the policies and rules here in the city and the state of New Jersey, not to run roughshod over the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, the Fourth, the Fifth, the Fourteenth Amendment and everybody on this soil who deserves due process."

NEWARK MAYOR SPEAKS AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM HSI FACILITY

The arrest came as activists had been calling for access to the facility for days, which is a privately run facility that was revamped as an immigration detention facility this year. ICE also used the building in the heavily industrial area of the city from 2011 to 2017 for migrant detentions, according to the Washington Post. DHS said that many of the detainees currently at the facility are facing criminal charges or are already convicted of crimes.

"Who do they want released from Delaney Hall? The child rapists, murderers, drug traffickers, MS-13 gang members or known terrorists?" Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin asked after Monday’s demonstration.

"This was a cheap political stunt by the Democrats and by these protesters," she said. "We're not having it. They put law enforcement officers at risk. They put our staff in the facility at risk and put the detainees at risk. You saw that they didn't even let an ambulance through. This is not something that this administration is going to put up with. And that's part of the reason that this mayor was arrested. You can't just storm a detention facility and assault law enforcement officers with impunity."

ALINA HABBA SWEARS TO PROTECT ‘AMERICAN SAFETY’ FROM THOSE ‘VIOLATING FEDERAL LAW’

Meanwhile, United States Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said she is further looking into what happened on Friday involving the officials.

"My office is undertaking a thorough investigation in coordination with our Federal Agency partners of what transpired on Friday at Delaney Hall. As is true of every investigation this office handles, all available evidence will be thoroughly reviewed prior to making a determination on how to proceed. I do not take these matters lightly," Habba posted.

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel, Anders Hagstrom, Alexis McAdams and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump will drop sanctions against Syria and meet with the nation’s new president Ahmed al-Shaara on Wednesday. 

"I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness," Trump said in a speech in Saudi Arabia. 

"In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that we must all hope will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace," he went on. "So I say good luck, Syria."

Trump is expected to meet briefly with al-Shaara in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. 

TRUMP CONDEMNS ‘INTERVENTIONALISTS,’ PITCHES ‘MORE HOPEFUL FUTURE’ IN MIDEAST SPEECH

The nation was cut off from the global financial system under ousted President Bashar al-Assad's government, amid 14 years of civil war. 

Trump called the sanctions "brutal and crippling" but "important at the time.

"In Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, killing many years. That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade."

Al-Shaara, who previously had a $10 million terrorist bounty on his head by the U.S., had been campaigning hard for a relationship with the U.S. and sanctions relief: he offered a Trump dower in Damascus, detente with Israel and U.S. access to Syria's oil and gas. 

His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led Assad's ouster last year. Originally founded as an offshoot of al-Qaeda, has since worked to soften its image and lobbied to be delisted as a terrorist group.

The announcement came on the sidelines of a whirlwind Middle East tour where Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose government leaders were widely expected to press Trump to release the sanctions to help Syria's economy. 

"Oh, what I do for the crown prince," Trump said. 

President Donald Trump hailed progress toward peace across the Middle East in an address in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, urging the region to pursue economic development rather than Iran's "self-destructive" path.

Trump made the comments during a speech in Riyadh shortly after meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump vowed to continue America's strong partnership with the Saudi government and also condemned Western "interventionalist" policies that have brought disaster in the Middle East.

"If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you, then all humanity will soon be amazed at what we will see here in the geographic center of the world, and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths," Trump said.

"Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other," he added.

"It is crucial for the wider world to note, this great transformation has not come from Western interventionalists flying in with lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs. The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad," he continued.

Trump's speech came after he and Salman signed several economic agreements totaling $600 billion in trade deals. The agreements could help create up to 2 million U.S. jobs, Trump said.

TRUMP TARGETS MASSIVE INVESTMENTS IN FIRST MIDDLE EAST TRIP

Several of the agreements tracked with previously stated ambitions by both Washington, D.C., and Riyadh, particularly when it comes to defensive deals. 

While the extent of the details of the agreements remain unclear, there were deals included that had not been previously flagged ahead of the president's visit to the Middle East, like the "cooperation agreement" between Saudi Arabia and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Asian Arts, as well as an agreement established with the Smithsonian Institute National Zoo and Conservation Biology.

AMERICAN CEOS ELON MUSK, SAM ALTMAN, LARRY FINK JOIN TRUMP AT SAUDI ROYAL COURT

In a statement immediately following the signing ceremony in Riyadh, the White House said, "Saudi Arabia’s $600-billion commitment to invest in the United States, building economic ties that will endure for generations to come."

The largest investments detailed in the agreement included a $20 billion investment by Saudi Arabia's DataVolt in AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the United States, an $80 billion investment in "cutting-edge transformative technologies in both countries" by Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD and Uber, as well as a massive $142 billion defensive package.

According to the White House, "The United States and Saudi Arabia signed the largest defense sales agreement in history – nearly $142 billion, providing Saudi Arabia with state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms."

The defense sale will reportedly be completed in the fall and will include air force advancement and space capabilities, air and missile defense, maritime and coastal security, border security and land forces modernization, and information and communication systems upgrades.

Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

The White House may be courting controversy with President Donald Trump's plans to accept a luxury jumbo jet from the Qatari government, worth $400 million, as the potential new Air Force One — but his administration wouldn't be the first to welcome lavish gifts from foreign leaders.

The practice goes all the way back to the founding of the country in 1776, with U.S. leaders receiving all manner of exotic and expensive gifts from royalty and heads of government around the world.

Abraham Lincoln politely declined a gift of a herd of elephants from the King of Siam, modern-day Thailand, in 1862. But he kept "a sword of costly materials and exquisite workmanship," a photo of the monarch’s family and two elephant tusks, according to a letter Lincoln sent to King Mongkut.

QATAR OFFERS TRUMP JUMBO JET TO SERVE AS AIR FORCE ONE

In 1880, Queen Victoria sent an intricately carved, 1,300-pound wooden desk to President Rutherford Hayes that was constructed from the oak timbers of the HMS Resolute, an Arctic exploration vessel. The desk was still in use in the Oval Office under the Biden administration but was temporarily removed in February for refinishing, according to reports.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented Franklin D. Roosevelt with a painting he did of Marrakech’s Koutoubia Mosque in 1943. Hollywood actor Brad Pitt bought the work in New Orleans for $2.95 million as a gift for his then-wife Angelina Jolie, who sold it a decade later for $11.5 million.

Richard Nixon accepted a gift of two giant pandas from China in 1972 following the U.S. president’s visit to the Communist country. Female panda Ling-Ling and her male mate Hsing-Hsing were given to the National Zoo in Washington D.C.

In 1997, President Clinton and wife Hillary received the gift of a handmade rug with their pictures woven into the tapestry as a gift from Azerbaijan’s leader, Heydar Aliyev. The six-by-five-foot rug was completed in a single day by a team of 12 women, according to reports.

President George W. Bush received 300 pounds of raw lamb in 2003 as a goodwill gesture from Argentina’s then-president, Nestor Kirchner. Bush also received a puppy from Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. At the end of his presidency, Bush and his wife Laura then bought the two-month-old Bulgarian Goran shepherd, named Balkan of Gorannadraganov, from the government and gave it to friends in Maryland.

His father, George H.W. Bush, was gifted a Komodo dragon by the President of Indonesia in 1990.

FREE RIDE: ALLIES, EVEN LAURA LOOMER, TURN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR ACCEPTING LUXURY JET FROM QATAR

One of the most lavish and controversial gifts was a gold and diamond snuff box given to Benjamin Franklin after his nine-year diplomatic tour of duty in France.

In 1785, King Louis XVI gave the Founding Father the elaborate parting gift, which featured a miniature image of the monarch encrusted with 408 diamonds "of a beautiful water."

It raised questions about corruption and foreign influence on officials in the newly formed American government, wrote Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout in her 2014 book, "Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin’s Snuff Box to Citizens United."

Despite the hand-wringing over whether the gift entailed undue foreign influence, Franklin insisted upon keeping the box. The incident later contributed to the passage of the Emoluments Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits federal government officials from accepting any gift from the representative of a foreign state without the consent of Congress.

Franklin’s daughter Sarah, who inherited the snuff box, gradually removed the diamonds to sell or give to family members. Hundreds of years later, only one diamond remained. The box is now at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.

Federal law requires executive branch officials to disclose any gift from a foreign government valued at $480 or more. Presidents are allowed to keep gifts to display at a presidential library, but cannot keep them for personal use unless they pay the fair market price.

Trump has said that the $400 million new Air Force One plane would be donated to his presidential center or library after his term.

Despite his administration’s insistence that the jet is a gesture of goodwill to the U.S. government, ethics watchdogs have raised concerns about transparency and foreign influence, particularly given Qatar’s efforts to bolster its profile in Washington over the past decade.

More recently, Trump received a sword, dagger and three robes lined with white tiger and cheetah fur from Saudi Arabia’s royal family on his first trip abroad as president in 2017.

The president held onto the items until he left office and did not disclose them as gifts but gave them to the General Services Administration. The pieces were later seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which found that the fur was fake, according to reports.