The nation’s top watchdog has concluded that the White House violated federal law when it withheld nearly $400 million in congressionally authorized US aid last year.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), which “does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” according to a Thursday report.
Of note, the GAO has reached similar conclusions against both Bush administrations and the Clinton administration. In December of 2018, the agency concluded that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) withheld $95 million from the Coast Guard – funds which were eventually released.
Congressional Democrats have accused Trump of using the withheld aid in a quid-pro-quo in exchange for investigations into Joe Biden and his son Hunter, as well as matters related to the 2016 US election. While House investigators were unable to prove that the funds were used as leverage – including whether Trump directly gave an order to do so, Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on December 18.
The White House claims its Office of Management and Budget (OMB) paused the funds over corruption concerns. That said, emails released in late December reveal that a senior OMB official directed the Department of Defense to pause the funds less than two hours after a July 25 call between Trump and Ukraine’s new President, Volodomyr Zelensky.
The GAO, however, concluded that “OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act.”
Trump has attacked the impeachment charges as politically motivated. White House budget officials have defended their power to stop the money from being given to the Defense Department, arguing both congressional lawmakers and executive branch officials routinely demand delays on funding already signed into law.
The report brings new scrutiny to a chain of events at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget last year. When top White House officials gave directives to the Pentagon to withhold aid for Ukraine, some OMB officials objected, warning the halt could be improper. At least two officials resigned, in part over concerns about the Ukraine money. –Washington Post
Trump and the White House have vehemently denied wrongdoing.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) who requested the GAO report, tweeted on Thursday: “This bombshell legal opinion from the independent @USGAO demonstrates, without a doubt, that the Trump Administration illegally withheld assistance from Ukraine and the public evidence shows that the president himself ordered this illegal act.”
This bombshell legal opinion from the independent @USGAO demonstrates, without a doubt, that the Trump Administration illegally withheld assistance from Ukraine and the public evidence shows that the president himself ordered this illegal act. pic.twitter.com/bkwyQ4Vk3K
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) January 16, 2020
It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal
-----------------------------------------------------
To donate via Stripe, click here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Use promo code ILMF2, and save up to 66% on all MyPillow purchases. (The Burning Platform benefits when you use this promo code.)
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) = Communist
I see we have at least 3 communist here…
The War Room has a good article on the Impoundment Law Trump ‘broke’.
https://warroom.org/jfk-clinton-and-obama-wanted-impoundment-control/?amp&__twitter_impression=true
More proof, if it was needed, that this is a power struggle. The resistance fighting against Trump’s plan to dismantle their administrative fiefdoms.
https://www.govexec.com/management/2018/06/trump-reorganization-plan-would-merge-education-and-labor-recast-hhs/149183/
The Federal Civil Service and the plethora of promises that the 535 classless clowns in Congress have ladled out over the last 60+ years need to be cut in half. Cut all faces and spaces that pertain race, culture, gender and the environment. Then eviscerate the defense industry and restart by hiring the best to administer and manage the affairs of the US. No more jobs programs…….
Foreign Policy is the provision of the President under his Article II powers. E.g. The Kenyan Usurper just decided to give $150B in cash and let Iran spin centrifuges so long as they didn’t make bomb…..and then signed an executive order making it so….
The Kenyan never even submitted the Iranian agreement to Congress as a treaty as it would fail. Lots of folks thought it was a terrible deal but nobody said it was illegal.
Shows you how full of shite these Dems truly are.
What are they hiding in Ukraine?
Martel: Why any one would down vote your comment escapes me….guess there are some really stupid asses here.
Mygirl: Are you going to suck martells dick in front of all of us?
Lets see here…we have an asshole posting anonymously because they’re too chickenshit to face me, because, in their dreams, is the only way they’ll ever get laid. Who this us you speak of, chickenshit?
Does the president run foreign policy or not.
There’s an easy solution to this bullshit: stop sending dollars to foreign countries.
Did the same watchdog group find that Biden did the same thing?
*insert the sound of crickets here*
ha ha ha … a government accountability office that works for criminal Congress. You can’t make this shit up folks.
Rand Paul seems to have presented the only correct response to all of this…..foreign aid is Unconstitutional and immoral. But playing games with spending bills that have been dutifully passed (or worse, spending money the Congress NEVER authorized), is even worse. The imperial presidency must end. It has been going on since at least Lincoln, and the country is far worse off because of it.
Of course! The GAO is “non-partisan” and you know that statement HAS to be true because it’s printed on all of their business cards.
Where were these clowns when hillary was peddling uranium to the highest bidder?
I just want to know who the hell is really in charge now.
The Deep State….same as always.
I seriously doubt the Impound Control Act supersedes the Constitution which gives the President the power to conduct foreign policy. This is all complete bullshit fabricated to deceive the morons that our citizens have become. So fat as the GAO being non-partisan, there is no such thing. All government agencies are dominated by democrats. That being said, it is illegal and unconstitutional to steal the money of the American people by force and give it to a foreign government to begin with.