Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) seized on newly released emails surrounding President Trump’s decision to delay aid to Ukraine, arguing they underscored the need for witnesses and documents as part of an impeachment trial.
“The newly-revealed unredacted emails are a devastating blow to Senator McConnell’s push to have a trial without the documents and witnesses we’ve requested,” Schumer said in a statement.
“These emails further expose the serious concerns raised by Trump administration officials about the propriety and legality of the president’s decision to cut off aid to Ukraine to benefit himself,” he added.
Schumer’s comments come after Just Security obtained unredacted emails between the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Pentagon about the decision to delay aid to Ukraine.
In one email, Michael Duffey, the associate director of national security at the Office of Management and Budget, told the acting Pentagon comptroller that there was “clear direction from POTUS to hold,” according to Just Security.
The unredacted emails are the latest round of new details on Trump’s decision to delay Ukraine aid last year. The New York Times recently reported that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Robert Blair, assistant to the president and senior adviser to Mulvaney, were aware that the delay would prompt backlash from Congress.
Trump, according to the Times, rejected appeals to release the aid from now-former national security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
The Senate is set to return on Friday from a two-week holiday recess with negotiations over the impeachment trial at an impasse.
Democrats want the trial to include Ukraine-related documents and four witnesses: Blair, Mulvaney, Bolton and Duffey. Schumer has also specified that Democrats want one resolution, passed at the outset of the trial, that would outline both procedure and an agreement on specific witnesses.
“This new evidence also raises questions that can only be answered by having the key Trump administration officials—Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton, Michael Duffey and Robert Blair—testify under oath in a Senate trial,” Schumer said Thursday.
He added that Duffey’s email saying there was a “‘clear direction from POTUS to continue to hold’ only further implicates President Trump and underscores the need for the Senate to subpoena the witnesses and documents we’ve requested at the onset of a trial. The American people deserve a fair trial that gets to the truth, not a rigged process that enables a cover-up.”
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Schumer calls emails surrounding Trump's decision to delay Ukraine aid "devastating blow" to McConnell's impeachment trial plans https://t.co/rf2Q9WoWln pic.twitter.com/DfXy4xfpgf
— The Hill (@thehill) January 2, 2020
Last month, the Trump admin released emails between DOD & OMB about Trump's hold on Ukraine aid, but they were heavily redacted.
I viewed what was behind those redactions: warnings from the Pentagon that the hold violated the law.
For @just_security:https://t.co/jFUm5IH7DP
— Kate Brannen (@K8brannen) January 2, 2020
Once again, what makes William Barr so dangerous is that he's competent and knows what he's doing, unlike most of the other poltroons loose in this administration. https://t.co/zesRe20gqU
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 2, 2020
DOJ also blacked out a pretty straightforward warning from DoD that the hold on Ukraine funds might prevent them from being obligated at all (contradicting a talking point pushed by OMB) pic.twitter.com/C1HVq1oNK6
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 2, 2020
DOJ also blacked out McCusker's comment that OMB lawyers continued "to consistently mischaracterize the process" pic.twitter.com/8BaOVkcoVl
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 2, 2020
Then, after all of DoD's warnings to OMB, OMB gen counsel told the GAO: "at no point…did DOD [Office of General Counsel] indicate to OMB that, as a matter of law, the apportionments would prevent DOD from being able to obligate the funds before the end of the fiscal year.” pic.twitter.com/CzqmLl72Vk
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 2, 2020
Schumer has released a statement about the new @just_security reporting showing acting Pentagon comptroller Elaine McCusker's warnings to OMB about potential illegality of Ukraine funding hold. But he does not call for McCusker's testimony in the Senate impeachment trial. pic.twitter.com/t7NrqvHt7C
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 2, 2020
New lengthy statement from @RepAdamSchiff on @just_security reporting on emails from Pentagon to OMB warning Ukraine funding hold might be illegal: "…the House subpoenaed these very documents. From their deeply incriminating character, we can now see why they were concealed" pic.twitter.com/iUJfiOuFLv
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 2, 2020
2. The emails appear to contradict OMB General Counsel Paoletta's letter to Congress (which set forth new rationale for hold on Ukraine aid on eve of HJC vote on impeachment articles).
It's hard to see why sentences like this in his letter are not intentional false statements.👇 pic.twitter.com/WVPsoo5j6k
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) January 2, 2020
4. There's more.
Senior @DeptofDefense official wrote in email to OMB’s Michael Duffey that OMB General Counsel Mark Paoletta “appears to continue to consistently misunderstand the process and the timelines we have provided.”
Note: Duffey is one of witnesses on @SenSchumer list pic.twitter.com/4XvjQmrF8o
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) January 2, 2020
6. Should also focus now on propriety of Justice Dept's having redacted this text in a COURT-ORDERED FOIA release, especially in light of unredacted text that DOJ did release that painted a different picture.
cc: @publicintegrity @knightcolumbia
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— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) January 2, 2020
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