"It was only until he
felt that he was being exposed that he actually stepped up and actually
released the funds."
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
President Donald Trump
was reportedly aware
of the whistleblower complaint against him when he released $390 million in
frozen military aid to Ukraine in early
September, prompting allegations that Trump only released the funds because
his actions came under serious scrutiny.
"The timeline is
clear," said Sean
Eldridge, founder of progressive advocacy group Stand Up America. "Trump
only released the aid because he got caught."
The New York Times,
citing two anonymous officials familiar with the matter, reported late Tuesday
that "Trump had already been briefed on a whistleblower's complaint about
his dealings with Ukraine when he unfroze military aid for the country."
"Mr. Trump faced
bipartisan pressure from Congress when he released the aid," the Times noted.
"But the new timing detail shows that he was also aware at the time that
the whistleblower had accused him of wrongdoing in withholding the aid and in
his broader campaign to pressure Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelensky,
to conduct investigations that could benefit Mr. Trump's re-election
chances."
If the Times reporting
is accurate, it means Trump was also aware of the whistleblower complaint when
he told U.S.
Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland in September that there was no
"quid pro quo" with Ukraine.
According
to House Budget Committee documents, Trump officially froze the aid to
Ukraine on July 25, the same day as the president's phone call with Zelensky. Democrats
have accused the president of unlawfully withholding the aid, which was
appropriated by Congress.
"It was only until he
felt that he was being exposed that he actually stepped up and actually
released the funds," Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) told CNN Tuesday
night.
The Washington Post reported late
Tuesday that two officials at the White House Office of Management and Budget
resigned in part over concerns about Trump's order to withhold the Ukraine
funds.
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.),
a member of the House Judiciary Committee, offered a simplified timeline of
events on Twitter in response to the Times reporting, which was
later confirmed by
the Wall Street Journal.
"One more time for those
playing along at home," tweeted Cicilline.
"1) He tried to bribe Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election. 2) He got
caught. 3) He confessed. 4) We will hold him accountable."
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