This archive report was first published on 23 December 2019.
On July 25, 2019, President Donald Trump had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that sparked a controversy. Just 90 minutes later, a US budget official instructed the Pentagon to 'hold off' on military aid to Ukraine, according to an internal email.
The email, time-stamped 11:04 am, was written by Office of Management and Budget official Michael Duffy. It was part of a series published by the investigative non-profit Center for Public Integrity.
Trump is accused of withholding $400 million in assistance to Ukraine to push Kiev to investigate his political rival Joe Biden. The email instructed Pentagon officials to 'hold off on any additional DoD obligations of these funds' due to the Administration's plan to review assistance to Ukraine.
Republicans defended the move, saying it was 'not unusual' for foreign aid to be delayed. However, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer called the emails 'explosive' and denounced Trump's refusal to let certain White House officials testify.
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on December 18, 2019. He faces a trial in the Senate, possibly in January.
