The Trump administration accepted a controversial gift from the Qatar administration's Boeing 747 jet and directed the Air Force to evaluate the speed of the aircraft that could be upgraded to use the aircraft as the new Air Force One.

A Pentagon spokesman confirmed a gift to The New York Times and the Associated Press, the plane was worth about $200 million.

The proposal for the plane has sparked bipartisan criticism of Trump, especially after Trump visited the country last week to arrange a U.S. business deal.

"The Secretary of Defense has accepted the Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations," Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to the Times on Wednesday. "The Department of Defense will work to ensure that appropriate safety measures and functional error requirements are considered for aircraft transporting the U.S. President."

The aircraft will need to undergo major modifications to meet presidential safety standards, including missile defense systems, secure communications, and protection against electromagnetic pulses. Pentagon officials acknowledged that there were no massive upgrades and the plane was not yet suitable for the president.

Members of Congress expressed concern that the Air Force might be forced to hurry up the process, which could undermine critical security features.

Legislators from both sides also questioned Qatar's motives, suggesting that the gift might be attempted to gain influence or that the aircraft might contain hidden surveillance equipment.

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat of Connecticut, had previously condemned the gift against the backdrop of the president's trip to the Middle East last week.

"Why did he choose these three countries for his first large foreign trip? It's not because these are our most important allies or the most important countries in the world," he said of Trump's visit to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

"It's because it's willing to pay off his three countries. Each of these countries is giving Trump money - a plane from Qatar, an investment in the UAE's cryptocurrency scam - they are asking for national security concessions in return."

"This is the definition of corruption. Foreign governments put money in the president's pocket and the United States then gave them national security concessions, which hurt our own security."

Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani denied any intention to swing the president and said the gift was made in a comprehensive government approval and was not intended to affect U.S. policy.

"I think this is a normal thing that happens between allies," the prime minister said at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on Tuesday. "I don't know why people think it's considered bribery."

He added that the partnership between the two countries is “a two-way relationship that is mutually beneficial to Qatar and the United States.”

Trump was highly critical of Qatar during his first presidency. The president said in June 2017 that Qatar "has been a high terrorist financing in history" and said he supported the national blockade led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

But he said in a recent trip to Qatar that leaders of one of the richest countries in the Arab world were “like royalty” and had been defending their acceptance of jets.