(if only...)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news ... kraine-aidTrump national security team attempted to convince him to reverse hold on Ukraine aid
President Trump's national security advisers intervened in an attempt to get the president to release a hold on nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine but were not successful in their endeavor.
A Sunday report from the New York Times outlined the nearly 90 days after Trump initially put a hold on the aid to the country, during which his national security team tried to convince him that releasing the aid was in the best interest of the United States.
Former national security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly met with the president at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office in August — less than a month after the July 25 phone call in which he asked the Ukrainian president to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
“This is in America’s interest,” Bolton said of releasing the aid at the time.
Esper added that most of the money was being spent on military equipment made in the U.S., saying, “This defense relationship, we have gotten some really good benefits from it."
“Ukraine is a corrupt country,” Trump brushed off their concerns. “We are pissing away our money.”
By late summer, top lawyers at the Office of Management and Budget were developing a proposed legal justification for the hold. However, House Democrats soon caught wind of a whistleblower report alleging that Trump was withholding the aid in exchange for the requested investigation into Biden. After three House committees announced investigations into the matter, the freeze on the aid was suddenly lifted.
The president has maintained that no quid pro quo with Ukraine occurred as the aid was released, and the Biden investigations didn't happen. However, he was impeached by the House earlier this month on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress relating to the scandal. Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to hand over the articles of impeachment to the Senate, Trump's trial is expected to begin next month.
Well worth reading the entire NYT article; it weaves the whole narrative together really well:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/29/us/p ... y-aid.html
