Donald Trump’s decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine in exchange for investigations into his political opponent led two officials in the White House Office of Management and Budget to resign, a new report shows.
According to The Washington Post, OMB official Mark Sandy told impeachment investigators about the resignations in his testimony on Nov. 16.
The revelation further confirms that those inside the White House understood – in real time – that Trump was abusing his power.
More from the report:
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
He said one worked in the OMB legal division and described that person as having a “dissenting opinion” about how the security assistance to Ukraine could be held up in light of the Impoundment Control Act, which limits the ability of the executive branch to change spending decisions already made by Congress.
The other person, who resigned in September, “expressed some frustrations about not understanding the reason for the hold,” Sandy said.
Sandy testified on Nov. 16, becoming the first OMB official to do so after political appointees at the agency defied congressional subpoenas to participate in the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
His testimony is the first public confirmation that the dispute at the OMB over handling of the Ukraine aid became so intense that it contributed to resignations from the agency.
The news that two White House officials resigned over Trump’s Ukraine shakedown scheme follows the other revelation Tuesday that, according to Sandy’s testimony, the president himself was directing the hold on military aid.
Sorry, Republicans, but support for impeachment is growing
Impeachment continues to get worse for Donald Trump, even as he and his Republican defenders in Congress claim that public opinion is shifting back in their direction.
Not only do the American people still support impeaching and removing Trump from office, but a new YouGov poll shows that support for impeachment appears to be growing.
The last few weeks have been devastating for Donald Trump and Republicans as they fail to come up with a coherent impeachment defense.
With a new impeachment hearing set to take place in the House Judiciary Committee next week, it’s only going to become more difficult for the White House to dig itself out of this scandal.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
