Homeland Security bought five aeroplanes from a political donor's firm at a steep markup on the final day of Kristi Noem's tenure, documents show, adding hundreds of millions to a taxpayer-funded fleet that has barely flown since, raising questions about how the deal was approved and priced.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agreed to pay Daedalus Aviation Corporation $108 million (£81 million) for a Boeing 737 converted into a private jet with a stand-up bar and two bedrooms, which the company had bought months earlier for less than $90 million (£67 million), according to documents reviewed by The New York Times. It also bought two Gulfstream luxury jets for $106 million (£79 million), roughly $23 million (£17 million) more than Daedalus had paid for the pair. The purchases raised questions about DHS's procurement process and oversight.
