- President Donald Trump instructed a top White House official to withhold roughly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine prior to a controversial phone call with its newly-elected president, according to a Washington Post report on Monday.
- Trump reportedly told acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to hold the funds, which the US has historically provided in light of ongoing conflicts with pro-Russian separatists.
- Officials informed congressional leaders that the 2-month long pause was due to a "interagency process," The Post reported.
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President Donald Trump instructed a top White House official to withhold roughly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine prior to a controversial phone call with its newly-elected president, according to a Washington Post report on Monday.
Trump told acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to hold the funds — which the US has historically provided in light of ongoing conflicts with pro-Russian separatists — for at least a week before the call in July, three officials said to The Post.
The funds, which will provide Ukraine with military-grade weapons, were eventually released on September 11.
Officials from the Office of Management and Budget, which Mulvaney still leads, explained to the US State Department and Defense Department that Trump had "concerns" over the funds, The Post reported. Officials reportedly informed congressional leaders that the 2-month long pause was due to a "interagency process."
The delay has been under scrutiny amid reports of phone call brought to light by a whistleblower from the intelligence community. Trump was previously reported to have made a "promise" to a foreign official "centering around Ukraine," according to a previous Washington Post report.
Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, gave a back-and-forth interview on CNN last week first denying and then suggesting that he asked the country to investigate former vice president and 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden over allegations that he pressured the government to dismiss a prosecutor looking into a scandal with a Ukrainian gas company, where his son was on the board.
Trump denied suggestions that he told the Ukrainians that the funds were conditioned upon investigating Biden.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump admitted he had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in July, and that the call was a "congratulatory" one centered on Zelensky's election victory in May. The US president also noted he had raised corruption issues with Zelensky and used the unconfirmed allegations against Biden as an example.
Democrats have since renewed calls for Trump's impeachment and accused him of using his position to gain an edge ahead of the 2020 presidential election. House Democratic leaders are scheduled to hold several meetings on Tuesday to discuss whether the party will issue a formal condemnation against Trump's actions.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
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