Mick Mulvaney just admitted to a 'textbook definition of an impeachable offense’: Obama lawyer

In a press conference this Thursday, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney undermined a key White House defense relating to the Ukraine scandal, admitting that there was indeed a quid pro quo discussed on President Trump's infamous July 25 phone call with Ukraine's president.

“The look back to what happened in 2016, certainly, was part of the things that he was worried about in corruption with that nation, and that is absolutely appropriate,” Mulvaney told ABC's Jonathan Karl. “We do it all the time with foreign policy.”

Unsurprisingly, Mulvaney's comments kicked off a firestorm of criticism on political Twitter. One person chiming in was former acting U.S. Solicitor General and Supreme Court litigator Neal Katyal, who tweeted that Mulvaney all but outright admitted that Trump has committed a clear impeachable offense.

"This is the textbook definition of an impeachable offense, and the White House Chief of Staff has just admitted it," Katyal tweeted.

As Law & Crime pointed out, Trump's personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, attempted to distance the White House from Mulvaney's comments, telling CNN that Trump's legal team "was not involved in the Acting Chief of Staff’s press briefing."