WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government's watchdog agency said Thursday a White House office violated federal law in withholding security assistance to Ukraine.
The Government Accountability Office said in a report that the Office of Management and Budget violated the law in holding up the aid. The freeze is at the center of the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
The independent agency, which reports to Congress, said OMB violated the Impoundment Control Act in delaying the security assistance Congress authorized for Ukraine for “policy reasons,” rather than technical budgetary needs.
“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” wrote the agency's general counsel, Thomas Armstrong, in the report.
OMB has argued the hold was appropriate and necessary.
“We disagree with GAO's opinion. OMB uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the President's priorities and with the law," said OMB spokeswoman Rachel Semmel.
Trump was impeached last month on charges of abusing his power for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democratic rivals, as he was withholding the aid, and for obstructing Congress' ensuing probe. The Senate is set to begin its trial on Thursday.
House members voted again Thursday to punish one of their own, targeting Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman for triggering a fire alarm in one of the U.S. Capitol office buildings in September when the chamber was in session.
The Senate has failed to advance a bill that would provide aid to Ukraine and Israel.
A Nevada grand jury indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump as the winner of the 2020 presidential race.
Former President Donald Trump has returned to his New York civil business fraud trial again.
Columnist and political analyst Jonathan Harris provided a full recap of Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate.
The U.S. military has grounded its fleet of Osprey V-22 aircraft a week after a deadly crash off the coast of Japan.
But even as he lashed Republicans for their stance, Biden stressed that he is willing to “make significant compromises on the border,” if that’s what it takes to get the package through Congress.
The four Republican presidential candidates debating Wednesday night mostly targeted each other instead of Donald Trump. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley took the brunt of the attacks as she gets more interest from donors and voters.
Word about McCarthy's future had been expected the approach of the filing deadline to seek reelection. His departure will leave the already paper-thin House GOP majority even tighter, with just a few seats to spare.
Russian President Vladimir Putin began a rare overseas trip that will include a meeting with Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
