White House violated the law by freezing Ukraine aid, GAO says

[Francee89]

The White House budget office violated the law when it froze U.S. military aid to Ukraine, the Government Accountability Office concluded in a new report.

President Donald Trump ordered the hold on the critical security assistance in July, a slew of senior White House officials testified to House impeachment investigators late last year. It was a move that coincided with an effort by the president and his allies to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump’s Democratic rivals.

...

“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the president to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” the GAO wrote in an eight-page report released on Thursday.
Trump’s decision to withhold nearly $400 million in military aid, which he reversed in September after House investigators began probing the move, is at the heart of the articles of impeachment the House passed last month, and it will be a central focus in the Senate’s impeachment trial that begins later Thursday.

The report undercuts an oft-stated defense of Trump’s decision to hold the aid back: that it was a lawful exercise of the president’s authority.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/1 ... ays-099682

[KnotaDinghy]

..... and the GAO found the Obama Administration violated a couple of Federal laws with the negotiations and swap with the terrorists to get Sgt Bergdahl returned.

No one cared about that, which I feel is far more critical than delaying an aid package to another country.

[Francee89]

..... and the GAO found the Obama Administration violated a couple of Federal laws with the negotiations and swap with the terrorists to get Sgt Bergdahl returned.

No one cared about that, which I feel is far more critical than delaying an aid package to another country.

Was there something stopping the Republican controlled House and Senate from doing something about that?

The GAO’s finding certainly undermines the argument that nothing illegal happened. Trump didn’t just unlawfully delay an aid package, he did it while simultaneously having his personal lawyer act as his secret errand boy to get an investigation into his political rival opened by Ukraine.

[jessilin0113]

“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the president to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,”

For those keeping track at home, that's abuse of power. And this...

The GAO report also states that OMB and the State Department “failed” to provide all of the information that was necessary for its investigation.

is obstruction.

[Shoota]

..... and the GAO found the Obama Administration violated a couple of Federal laws with the negotiations and swap with the terrorists to get Sgt Bergdahl returned.

No one cared about that, which I feel is far more critical than delaying an aid package to another country.

More critical than allowing a foreign government to be blackmailed into meddling our election process?

[Della]

But, but, but...OBAMA!

[KnotaDinghy]

..... and the GAO found the Obama Administration violated a couple of Federal laws with the negotiations and swap with the terrorists to get Sgt Bergdahl returned.

No one cared about that, which I feel is far more critical than delaying an aid package to another country.

More critical than allowing a foreign government to be blackmailed into meddling our election process?

Blackmailed?
Yeah, that never happened.

Ukraine did meddle in the 2016 election but for HRC, not Trump.

[KnotaDinghy]

But, but, but...OBAMA!

Stop being so passive aggressive. It’s annoying as shit.


No.
Not ‘but Obama’.
It’s the truth. The GAO finds things against the law all the time and releases reports. It’s their OPINION. And when that happened there wasn’t a big stink about it and certainly NOT an Impeachment. People should be consistent.

It’s also natural to refer back to the most recent administration as most people remember that best. But we could go back further if you want. There’s many instances of hypocrisy between other Presidents treatment and how Trump is being treated.

[Della]

But, but, but...OBAMA!

Stop being so passive aggressive. It’s annoying as shit.


No.
Not ‘but Obama’.
It’s the truth. The GAO finds things against the law all the time and releases reports. It’s their OPINION. And when that happened there wasn’t a big stink about it and certainly NOT an Impeachment. People should be consistent.

It’s also natural to refer back to the most recent administration as most people remember that best. But we could go back further if you want. There’s many instances of hypocrisy between other Presidents treatment and how Trump is being treated.

Heck yes, it is "but Obama" and "but, but, but...they all did it". "Well, Obama did it too!" "Well, Bush did it too!" "Well, Clinton did it too!"

It's bullshit. Like this - https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020 ... deral-law/ which is probably from where your OPINION on the GAO OPINION stems.

I don't want Trump impeached - precisely because that gives us Pence, and that evangelistic nightmare doesn't ever need to be in that office.

I am again finding myself stuck in a hard place for the upcoming presidential election. No way would I vote for Sanders or Warren or Biden, and I don't think Bloomberg or Steyer even have a chance at the nomination, although I doubt I'd vote for either of them. I also wish upon a star that the Republicans would get back to the center. Reagan looks like a moderate now, smh.

[Carpy]

But, but, but...OBAMA!

Stop being so passive aggressive. It’s annoying as shit.


No.
Not ‘but Obama’.
It’s the truth. The GAO finds things against the law all the time and releases reports. It’s their OPINION. And when that happened there wasn’t a big stink about it and certainly NOT an Impeachment. People should be consistent.

It’s also natural to refer back to the most recent administration as most people remember that best. But we could go back further if you want. There’s many instances of hypocrisy between other Presidents treatment and how Trump is being treated.

Heck yes, it is "but Obama" and "but, but, but...they all did it". "Well, Obama did it too!" "Well, Bush did it too!" "Well, Clinton did it too!"

It's bullshit. Like this - https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020 ... deral-law/ which is probably from where your OPINION on the GAO OPINION stems.

I don't want Trump impeached - precisely because that gives us Pence, and that evangelistic nightmare doesn't ever need to be in that office.

I am again finding myself stuck in a hard place for the upcoming presidential election. No way would I vote for Sanders or Warren or Biden, and I don't think Bloomberg or Steyer even have a chance at the nomination, although I doubt I'd vote for either of them. I also wish upon a star that the Republicans would get back to the center. Reagan looks like a moderate now, smh.

Could you share a list of extremist policies promoted by Trump?