As Trump Hails Plan to Accept Qatari Jet, Congress Sits on the Sidelines

Politics|As Trump Courts Gifts and Dangles Access, Congress Sits on the Sidelines

The president stood accused of dangling exclusive access to the White House for big bucks. Members of Congress were duly outraged, with one prominent Republican assailing him for using “probably one of the more sacrosanct places in America” to rake in cash. Months of high-profile congressional hearings ensued.

That was in 1997, when President Bill Clinton came under scrutiny for inviting campaign donors to stay overnight in the White House’s famed Lincoln Bedroom, prompting a firestorm around claims that he was shamelessly exploiting the presidency.

Nearly three decades later, President Trump has drawn accusations of corruption and self-dealing for publicly flirting with accepting a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar and promising an exclusive country club dinner and White House tour for the largest buyers of his crypto coin, one of many financial exploits enriching him and his family.

But the Republicans who control Congress aren’t rushing to convene investigative committees just yet. As is often the case when Mr. Trump’s actions or words put him squarely in the middle of a controversy, top G.O.P. lawmakers are in no hurry to question the president or amplify the criticism.

“This is a hypothetical,” the Senate majority leader, John Thune of South Dakota, said on Tuesday when asked if he was comfortable with the gifting of the jet. Should the matter move beyond the hypothetical stage, he said, “I can assure you there will be plenty of scrutiny of whatever that arrangement might look like.”

To those who were caught up years ago in the frenzy over the Lincoln Bedroom, the acceptance of Mr. Trump’s activities within his own party is discouraging to say the least.