Unredacted Ukraine Documents Reveal Extent of Pentagon’s Legal Concerns

“Clear direction from POTUS to continue to hold.”

This is what Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), told Elaine McCusker, the acting Pentagon comptroller, in an Aug. 30 email, which has only been made available in redacted form until now. It is one of many documents the Trump administration is trying to keep from the public, despite congressional oversight efforts and court orders in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation.

Earlier in the day on Aug. 30, President Donald Trump met with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the president’s hold on $391 million in military assistance for Ukraine. Inside the Trump administration, panic was reaching fever pitch about the president’s funding hold, which had stretched on for two months. Days earlier, POLITICO had broken the story and questions were starting to pile up. U.S. defense contractors were worried about delayed contracts and officials in Kyiv and lawmakers on Capitol Hill wanted to know what on earth was going on. While Trump’s national security team thought withholding the money went against U.S. national security interests, Trump still wouldn’t budge.

Source

This has been breaking over the past few hours. I've been trying to track down how Just Security were able to obtain the unredacted emails (I wouldn't be surprised if the were provided by McKusker) but haven't been able to turn anything up yet. That said, a number of major media outlets (both Left and Right) are reporting on the development. On top of that Chuck Schumer has also commented on the report. So it does seem like it is legitimate.

Based off these unredacted emails, let's just say it's not a good look for the OMB and the White House. Essentially the Pentagon expressed their concern throughout the summer over the legality of withholding funds from Ukraine. The OMB gave them the run around until it was Zero Hour, at which point the OMB tried to throw the Pentagon under the bus.

Interestingly enough, when the redeacted versions of these emails were released last month it seems like a specific emphasis was placed on editing out the Pentagon's concerns about the hold placed on this money while the reassurances from the OMB were left. It makes it seem like a concerted effort to hide the fact that from Day One the Pentagon was wary over withholding this money.

It's hard to think of a reason for doing so that doesn't make the White House look guilty of something.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Interesting....

The documents reveal growing concern from Pentagon officials that the hold would violate the Impoundment Control Act, which requires the executive branch to spend money as appropriated by Congress, and that the necessary steps to avoid this result weren’t being taken. Those steps would include notifying Congress that the funding was being held or shifted elsewhere, a step that was never taken. The emails also show that no rationale was ever given for why the hold was put in place or why it was eventually lifted.

budget.house.gov...

Maybe you missed it, but the president hasn't in any way indicated that he didn't direct the hold. In fact, he has admitted it on several occasions and gave the reasons for it. It is up to a legal case to determine whether it actually violated the impound control act vs potentially -- similar to the legal challenge to the wall funds.

a reply to: Xcalibur254
when you identify that specific "something" and who is guilty of such, please by all means get back to us


67 votes and all......

We all know from the other thread on here what was going on in Ukraine

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Nothing about Biden in those emails. What they do show is that Trump's and Mulveny's defense as to why they paused the aid is consistent throughout and every effort was made to do things legally and by the book.

a reply to: Xcalibur254
From your source,

What is clear is that it all came down to the president and what he wanted; no one else appears to have supported his position. Although the pretext for the hold was that some sort of policy review was taking place, the emails make no mention of that actually happening

The president and what he wanted. Not what was best or even what was required by law. Just whatever he wanted.
So next time someone says he held this up to review his policy on corruption, we know that no such plan was ever discussed.
The hold was to put pressure on Zelinski to announce an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. Or Extortion as they call it in RICO.

a reply to: Halfswede

Uh huh... its the why that is now being revealed.

Not to review corruption or any policies. That was never discussed.

The continued ignorance of the actual issue by some - the OP included - continues to amaze.

WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT ORDERED THE HOLD

Got it????

That is NOT what he has been impeached for.

a reply to: Halfswede
a reply to: UKTruth

The interesting thing I took away from these emails had nothing to do about Trump directing the hold. It was the fact that the White House primarily redacted the parts that called out the potential legal ramifications from withholding these funds.

From what I've read there's no state secrets or anything in these redacted sections. Instead it is simply the Pentagon calling into question the legality of the White House's actions.

Are you not curious as to why they wouldn't want anyone to see that?

You guys should hurry up and impeach him. Oh wait...that's right, Pelosi won't send the articles over to the Senate because it doesn't list any high crimes or misdemeanors and want to call more witnesses. You guys gave the Democrats the House to only work on one project that they've been working on for the past 3 years and only halfway completed that task. I hope you enjoy how much the Democrats you elected have divided the country because that's all you've gotten out of your votes.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: Xcalibur254
From your source,

What is clear is that it all came down to the president and what he wanted; no one else appears to have supported his position. Although the pretext for the hold was that some sort of policy review was taking place, the emails make no mention of that actually happening

The president and what he wanted. Not what was best or even what was required by law. Just whatever he wanted.
So next time someone says he held this up to review his policy on corruption, we know that no such plan was ever discussed.
The hold was to put pressure on Zelinski to announce an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. Or Extortion as they call it in RICO.

"Please do not offer anything unless you have some facts."
oh what a glorious day!

you will be supplying such,no?

a reply to: Middleoftheroad

You guys should hurry up and impeach him

math it seems is hard for the democrats
they cant seem to count to 67

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: Halfswede
a reply to: UKTruth

The interesting thing I took away from these emails had nothing to do about Trump directing the hold. It was the fact that the White House primarily redacted the parts that called out the potential legal ramifications from withholding these funds.

From what I've read there's no state secrets or anything in these redacted sections. Instead it is simply the Pentagon calling into question the legality of the White House's actions.

Are you not curious as to why they wouldn't want anyone to see that?

I would imagine that any internal discussions and advice about legality would be redacted.
Can you imagine the choas of having all internal deliberations made public? Given the nonsense perpetraed by Democrats for 3 years, even a simple question could be isolated, taken out of context and turned into a crisis.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Are you not curious as to why they wouldn't want anyone to see that?

I think Mulvaney's aid Robert Blaire said it best in his answer to Mulvaney's query about the hold on the security assistance:

Expect Congress to become unhinged

Perhaps they knew congress would devolve into conspiracy theories and witch-hunts.

a reply to: Sillyolme


Do you ever get tired of being wrong? Just wondering for a friend

a reply to: visitedbythem

We all know from the other thread on here what was going on in Ukraine

No we don't. You know the lie Giuliani wants you to believe.

We already know what went on and why. If the senate doesn't do their jobs they deserve to lose them and they will.

The country sees what the truth is already.

See, if this was really about Biden he'd be mentioned in these e mails somewhere so that everyone could know the reason the money was being withheld, but the only extent that this was about Biden was trump's need for Zelinsky to make that very important announcement about investigating him and keeping everything else quiet and hidden.

This is what is really happening. Not the nonsense spewing from Giuliani's mouth. What happened to that man? He was not always nuts like this.

a reply to: CitizenZero

Consistent how? No one knew why except for the handful who already testified that it was to get political dirt on Biden.

He was not investigating corruption.

a reply to: Sillyolme

This is what is really happening.

sure thing lady
sure thing

a reply to: Halfswede

It is up to a legal case to determine whether it actually violated the impound control act vs potentially

Would you consider a Senate Impeachment Trial a good enough legal case to decide this?