Ukraine Aid Was Released After Federal Lawyers Said Trump Freeze Was Illegal: Report

[thecrow]

Source: Huffington Post

POLITICS
11/09/2019 08:23 PM EST
Ukraine Aid Was Released After Federal Lawyers Said Trump Freeze Was Illegal: Report
The president has claimed he was one to release the funds, so there was no quid pro quo for his call to investigate Joe Biden.
It wasn’t Donald Trump who released the first of Ukraine military aid, but the State Department after lawyers determined that the White House freeze on thefunds was illegal, several sources have told Bloomberg.
Trump has claimed he released the aid September 11. But five sources told Bloomberg that $141 million of the money was actually authorized to be released several days earlier after lawyers determined that the White House Office of Management and Budget and, therefore, the president, had no legal standing to block the funds. The decision was outlined in a classified memo to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to Bloomberg. Other details of the memo were not revealed.
The information severely undercuts Trump’s insistence that there was no military aid quid pro quo when he pressed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July phone call to launch a groundless investigation into his political rival Joe Biden and his son. Trump has pointed to the fact that he released the aid before a probe was begun. But Bloomberg now reports that he was no longer in control of disbursement when the money was released.
Officials have testified before House lawmakers that the aid — amounting to a total of some $400 million — was linked to Zelensky bowing to Trump’s demands. The New York Times has reported that Zelensky had already scheduled an interview on CNN in September to announce the launch of the investigation — even though he was opposed to it — in order to obtain the much needed funding. When the money was released, Zelensky quickly dropped the CNN appearance and did not begin a probe, according to the Times.


Read more: https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5dc74871e4b02bf57940ff34/amp

[not_the_one]

1. Since there was bipartisan support for release of the aid

Congress AND the Senate should have said, with one voice:

"This aid was approved by CONGRESS. It is not your personal piggy bank to use for bribery or extortion. Your opinion of it is irrelevant. You WILL release it immediately."

[Pepsidog]

2. Trump thinks he owns the USA, the deluded orange pos.

[modrepub]

5. That would mean Repubs

would have to admit he did something wrong.

[gab13by13]

3. Bloomberg out with a new article,

claiming that John Bolton went around Mulvaney and Okayed the release of the money before he resigned. Of course, no word if Trump gave his approval, cough. That's why it would be nice to get Bolton to testify. C'mon Dems pressure the judge to come down with his subpoena ruling sooner than December.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. "See? This was no quid pro quo. It was everyday extortion." (nt)