On June 19—literally the day after DOD announced it was sending aid to Ukraine—Trump made the impulsive decision to withhold aid.
He didn't consult with anybody.
He didn't have a national security rationale.
He just had his personal self-interest.
He didn't consult with anybody.
He didn't have a national security rationale.
He just had his personal self-interest.
We know one thing on his mind: the CrowdStrike conspiracy theory.
How do we know?
Because he announced it himself in a rambling interview with Sean Hannity that same night.
How do we know?
Because he announced it himself in a rambling interview with Sean Hannity that same night.
Lofgren offers three key questions about withholding aid.
The answers to all three are incredibly incriminating.
The answers to all three are incredibly incriminating.
To most of the officials in charge of executing the hold on aid, the order came out of the blue. They had no idea why it was being done.
"We now know why it was done: to turn the screws on Ukraine to provide political help for the president."
"We now know why it was done: to turn the screws on Ukraine to provide political help for the president."
If the Senate wants to see the discussions between administration officials about why Trump withheld aid, they can—all they have to do is subpoena it.
Meanwhile, the evidence we do have shows that Trump did it because "he wanted to ramp up the pressure to force them to do it."
Meanwhile, the evidence we do have shows that Trump did it because "he wanted to ramp up the pressure to force them to do it."
There certainly wasn't a national-security rationale.
We know that because we've heard from several officials who attended a meeting where it was announced, all of whom were stunned and confused.
We know that because we've heard from several officials who attended a meeting where it was announced, all of whom were stunned and confused.
"The president ignored his adviser's recommendation to lift the hold. He provided no credibility explanation for it, not from the day the hold was made until the day it was lifted."
Only one reason was ever given: Trump wanted it done, and he wouldn't budge.
Only one reason was ever given: Trump wanted it done, and he wouldn't budge.
Through the *entire* duration of the hold on aid, up until the day Trump decided to release it, no explanation was ever given—except that Trump wanted it done.
That's because the reason was a corrupt extortion scheme.
That's because the reason was a corrupt extortion scheme.
There's a reason no explanation was ever given: because holding the aid was part of Trump's corrupt effort to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations into his political opponents.
.@RepZoeLofgren: "[Trump] was so determined to turn up the pressure on Ukraine that he kept the hold for no legitimate purpose and without any congressional notification for long enough to violate the law."
@RepZoeLofgren "The president didn't just violate the Impoundment Control Act while pressuring Ukraine to announce the investigations he wanted. He was dishonest about it"—he lied and launched a massive coverup.
@RepZoeLofgren Trump's defenders like to say "no harm, no foul"—the aid eventually made it to Ukraine.
But that's another lie. It didn't. DOD couldn't send all the aid in time—and still hasn't sent more than $18 million of it.
But that's another lie. It didn't. DOD couldn't send all the aid in time—and still hasn't sent more than $18 million of it.
@RepZoeLofgren "Understanding this violation of the law is important to understand the broader scheme of [Trump's] abuse of power. It shows the great lengths the president was willing to go to in order to pressure Ukraine to do his political dirty work."
