A CNN reporter's eye-popping new revelations about the Trump administration's decision to freeze — and later unfreeze — military aid to Ukraine baffled panelists Tuesday evening.
Reporter Natasha Bertrand shared what anchor Erin Burnett called "real breaking news" on what went on behind the scenes with the United States' sudden decision last week to pause weapon shipments to Ukraine.
"What we're told is that Secretary of Defense Hegseth did not actually inform the White House prior to approving that pause on the weapons shipments," said Bertrand.
She said the pause came about because Trump last month asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for an assessment of U.S. weapons stockpiles. Iran and Israel were attacking each other and U.S. troops in the region were at risk.
"But Secretary of Defense Hegseth then kind of delegated that request down to the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby, who ultimately himself made that recommendation to pause this weapon shipment. But Secretary Hegseth ultimately did sign off on it," Bertrand said.
But, she added: "We're told that pause was not actually communicated to the White House in real time. The White House found out about it in large part through press reports, including Secretary of State Rubio, who is also the president's national security adviser. He was not looped in on this beforehand."
"And so, we're told that after he found out about this pause, Trump actually pressed Hegseth to release at least part of that shipment of Patriot interceptors to the Ukrainians. Because, as we have heard Trump say repeatedly in recent days, the Ukrainians need those defensive weapons," she added.
Bertrand said Trump "sent much the same message" to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. The reporting left Burnett and panelist David Axelrod confounded, with Burnett repeating Bertrand's "incredible" reporting.
"What you're saying — that this was paused and the White House was not informed, the national security adviser was not informed, Marco Rubio, Secretary of State," she said.
She asked longtime Democratic strategist David Axelrod for his reaction. He admitted to being "absolutely astonished."
"The idea that a decision like that would be taken, on a matter of such import, and obviously in a critical, critical place, without the national security adviser being informed and the President of the United States is beyond belief to me," he said, laterr adding: "And if I were the President, I’d be furious about that."
He concluded, "This raises alarm bells about how decisions are being made."
