Thread by @K8brannen

So Elaine McCusker, the woman who warned that withholding funding for Ukraine violated the law, has lost the nomination to be Pentagon comptroller. politico.com/news/2020/03/0…

Her repeated warnings to the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) were revealed in unredacted emails obtained by @just_security: justsecurity.org/67863/exclusiv…

@just_security After conducting its own investigation, @USGAO agreed with McCusker, concluding: OMB violated the Impoundment Control Act. nytimes.com/2020/01/16/us/…

@just_security @USGAO "Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law," @USGAO wrote in its report. gao.gov/assets/710/703…

@just_security @USGAO Republicans in Congress ignored this conclusion during impeachment.

But more recently, echoed it exactly when condemning Trump's diversion of DOD funds to pay for the border wall. cnn.com/2020/02/13/pol…

@just_security @USGAO Meanwhile, the OMB lawyer, Mark Paoletta, who ignored McCusker's warnings and complained that, " DoD is being extraordinarily difficult," still has his job.

In December, he misled Congress about how much OMB knew about DOD's concerns. justsecurity.org/68614/exclusiv…

@just_security @USGAO Takeaway: If you raise legitimate concerns about the legality of Trump's policies, your job is on the line.

If you take steps to facilitate those policies and cover up internal dissent, you're good!

@just_security @USGAO Before the ink on this thread has even dried ...

@politico reporting that Michael Ellis, who refused to comply with a congressional subpoena in the impeachment investigation, has a new job: senior director for intelligence on the NSC. politico.com/news/2020/03/0…