White House yanks Pentagon nominee who suggested Trump’s Ukraine scheme was illegal

On Monday, Politico reported that the White House is withdrawing the nomination of Elaine McCusker, the acting Comptroller of the Department of Defense, to serve in that role on a permanent basis.

This decision comes after reporting that McCusker questioned the legality of President Donald Trump's scheme to withhold military aid to Ukraine until they publicly announced an "investigation" into former Vice President Joe Biden's family.

This scheme, facilitated by Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and a handful of now-indicted associates, formed the basis of the first article of impeachment against Trump at the end of last year. Senate Republicans ultimately mustered the votes to quash these allegations in an impeachment trial where additional witnesses were prohibited from coming forward.

The Pentagon has not yet stated whether McCusker will remain in the comptroller position on an acting basis.