Top Pentagon policy official involved in certifying Ukraine aid steps down
by Caitlin Yilek
| February 19, 2020 09:10 AM
A top official at the Pentagon has been asked for his resignation, according to reports.
John Rood, the undersecretary of defense for policy, has lost the support of senior national security leadership and has been asked to step down, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday.
Rood was involved in certifying to Congress that Ukraine was eligible to receive $250 million in security assistance. The certification undercut the argument the Trump administration made for withholding the aid.
Shortly after President Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25, Rood emailed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to fill him in on an upcoming meeting "to discuss the President's concern about endemic corruption in Ukraine and his reported view that US should cease providing security assistance," according to emails.
“Placing a hold on security assistance at this time would jeopardize this unique window of opportunity and undermine our defense priorities with a key partner in the strategic competition with Russia,†he wrote in one of the emails.
Rood joined the administration in early 2018, working under then-Defense Secretary James Mattis. He has also served in several policy positions at the Pentagon in prior administrations and as an analyst for the CIA.
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