The Washington Post revealed in a Sunday report that there was a review of President Donald Trump's decision to withhold aid to Ukraine that was already passed by Congress. White House officials, ambassadors and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, have all admitted that the aid was on hold because the president demanded "a favor" of the recently elected Ukrainian president.
Three sources familiar with the records told The Post that "hundreds of documents" reveal the "extensive efforts" to come up with a justification for withholding Ukraine aid after the whistleblower report was filed and Congress began to look into the matter.
"The research by the White House Counsel’s Office, which was triggered by a congressional impeachment inquiry announced in September, includes early August email exchanges between acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and White House budget officials seeking to provide an explanation for withholding the funds after President Trump had already ordered a hold in mid-July on the nearly $400 million in security assistance, according to the three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations," The Post reported.
White House lawyers are anticipating that the matter revealed "unflattering exchanges and facts that could at a minimum embarrass the president," the report said.
Friday, a treasure trove of documents were released after citizen group American Oversight sued the State Department to release documents previously requested by Congress. The State Department refused to comply with the subpoena, but courts ruled that State must complay with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
In an interview with MSNBC, the executive director said that these documents are only the beginning, and that they have requested multiple documents from the Office of Management and Budget, the agency Mulvaney headed.
“There was a legal consensus at every step of the way that the money could be withheld to conduct the policy review,” said OMB spokeswoman Rachel Semmel. “OMB works closely with agencies on executing the budget. Routine practices and procedures were followed, not scrambling.”
The early August email showed Mulvaney asking acting OMB director Russell Vought for an "update on the legal rationale for withholding the aid." He wanted to know how much longer it would be delayed. The White House and GOP have struggled to come up with a justification for Trump's bribery efforts.
Trump began withholding the money in July without speaking to the Justice Department or White House lawyers.
"Emails show Vought and OMB staffers arguing that withholding aid was legal, while officials at the National Security Council and State Department protested. OMB lawyers said that it was legal to withhold the aid, as long as they deemed it a 'temporary' hold, according to people familiar with the review," the report said.
Read the full piece at The Washington Post.