My Authors
Read all threads
THREAD

Scoop in new Ukraine story: OMB lawyers argued Trump "could ignore the requirements of the Impoundment Control Act & continue to hold the aid by asserting constitutional commander in chief powers that give him authority over diplomacy."

That's absurd, & OMB knew it. /1
1st, OMB didn't have the guts to rely on this argument in real time. As @neal_katyal & I have explained, OMB told DOD to hide from Congress the hold on Ukraine aid. If OMB believed its own theory, it would've told DOD, then Congress. But it did neither. /2 washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/1…
2nd, OMB didn't have the guts to rely on this argument after the fact. Months later, when OMB issue a post hoc justification for the hold on Ukraine aid, this argument is nowhere to be found. OMB instead relied on a different (also unavailing) argument. /3 washingtonpost.com/context/white-…
3rd, OMB doesn't have the guts to rely on this argument even now. If OMB had confidence in its position--based on ANY argument--it wouldn't block the testimony @ a Senate impeachment trial of 2 OMB officials, Mulvaney & Duffey--2 of 4 requested by Dems. /4 cnn.com/2019/12/15/pol…
What this all adds up to is a legal argument that doesn't just look absurd now that @EricLiptonNYT @maggieNYT & @MarkMazzettiNYT have uncovered it.

It's a legal argument that was absurd for OMB to be pushing at the time--and OMB itself knew it then, just as it knows it now. /END
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh.

Enjoying this thread?

Keep Current with Joshua A. Geltzer

Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!