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.
Speaking early Monday at a campaign rally in Opa-locka, Florida, Trump expressed frustration that the surging cases of a virus that has killed more than 231,000 people in the United States remains in the news, sparking chants of “Fire Fauci” from his supporters.
While snapping a selfie with a sealed envelope is perfectly legal, memorializing your marked ballot with a photo can be against the law in some states.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Former White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, joined Cheddar to discuss Biden versus Trump in the 2020 election.
More than 9 million ballots have been cast as of Friday in the nation’s second most-populous state, exceeding the 8.9 million cast in 2016,
Each state has different rules on when it's allowed to start counting early ballots. That is going to produce results coming in at very different times — perhaps days or even weeks after Election Day.
Following today's big tech hearing, former Virginia Senator Barbara Comstock, joined Cheddar to discuss the government's role in regulating the industry and why it is bad for business.
The CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google have received a hectoring from Republicans at a Senate hearing for alleged anti-conservative bias in the companies’ social media platforms. And
Cheddar's Megan Pratz was serving as Vice President Mike Pence's pool reporter as news broke that members of his team tested positive for the coronavirus.
Big tech CEOs are gearing up to testify in Washington as lawmakers prepare to take action on tech liability. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) joined Cheddar to discuss.
