This archive report was first published on 27 September 2019.
On August 26, 2019, Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the US intelligence community, forwarded a whistleblower complaint to Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, declaring that the complaint 'appears credible.'
However, Maguire chose to bring the issue to the White House rather than Congress, a decision that drew sharp criticism from Democrats.
Just a day later, on August 27, National Security Adviser John Bolton met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, assuring the Ukrainians that the US stood behind them.
But unbeknownst to the Ukrainians, the aid freeze was already underway, and it wasn't until August 28 that the first report of the frozen money appeared in Politico.
As the situation continued to unfold, President Trump canceled his trip to Warsaw to monitor Hurricane Dorian, instead sending Vice President Mike Pence to meet with Zelensky.
On September 9, three House committees opened an inquiry to examine whether the aid to Ukraine was being held up for political reasons, and Atkinson sent a letter to the intelligence committees informing them of the existence of the whistleblower complaint.
