https://www.rawstory.com/2019/11/john-bolton-went-around-mick-mulvaney-and-released-aid-to-ukraine-before-resigning-report/The timeline in the administration’s Ukraine scandal changed again on Saturday with a bombshell new report from Bloomberg News.
“President Donald Trump says he lifted his freeze on aid to Ukraine on Sept. 11, but the State Department had quietly authorized releasing $141 million of the money several days earlier,†Bloomberg reported, citing “five people familiar with the matter.â€
“The State Department decision, which hasn’t been reported previously, stemmed from a legal finding made earlier in the year, and conveyed in a classified memorandum to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. State Department lawyers found the White House Office of Management and Budget, and thus the president, had no legal standing to block spending of the Ukraine aid,†Bloomberg explained.
The report highlights how the administration was divided over the funding, with acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney — who is also the director of the Office of Management and budget supporting Trump’s decision to block the aid, while others, including then-National Security Advisor John Bolton, reportedly wanted the funds released.
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