Dan Bongino: A report from the Government Accountability Office is making headlines as the latest “bombshell” of the day that’ll fizzle out shortly. While the impeachment circus began on the thesis that there was a quid pro quo between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (which both deny), the GAO released an opinion that withholding aid for any reason is illegal. The timing is almost too perfect, being released right before the Senate trial officially began.
According to Fox News:
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a legal opinion on Thursday saying that President Trump’s administration broke the law by withholding defense aid to Ukraine. That money, $214 million which had been allocated to the Department of Defense for security assistance, was appropriated by Congress and therefore the administration did not have the right to hold it back just because it disagreed with its allocation, the opinion from the nonpartisan government watchdog said. “Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” the opinion said. “[The Office of Management and Budget] OMB withheld funds for a policy reason … not a programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that the OMB violated the ICA [Impoundment Control Act].”
Naturally, the Office of Management and Budget (which withheld the aid) dissented from the report.
At the center of this is the aforementioned Impoundment Control Act (ICA), which governs how the White House distributes money approved by Congress. The ICA took effect in 1974 in response to Richard Nixon refusing to spend $12 billion in congressionally appropriated funds (who was working under the belief that withholding funds would lower inflation).
It’s odd that the GAO didn’t produce a similar report when the Obama Administration withheld lethal aid to Ukraine in 2014, though they did say Obama broke the law in exchanging five Taliban commanders for a U.S. soldier without giving Congress 30 days notice. KEEP READING
one must remember that the GAO is a Congressional House entity, & is controlled by the House (Mithrandir’s ‘more equal’ branch of gov’ment)
… guess who runs the House? … elections have consequences
A whole shit load of people need to lose jobs and freedom over this garbage.
GAO says,
Like they know what it ever meant opposed by Jefferson, Lincoln, JFK, Clinton, and Obama
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Now That’s Funny,,,
It wasn’t withheld, it was delayed. If it was withheld they wouldn’t have gotten it.
I shoulda been a lawyer.
Kevin R- right! And Trump still approved it before the deadline, AND military aid has to be reviewed twice a year before it is given to any foreign nation based on their behavior towards us and others.
who you gonna believe? The government or your own eyes?
Re: The Founding Fathers envisioned The House to have the greatest amount of power, not shared equally. Checks and Balances doesn’t mean each branch is to have 33.3% of the power.
Check your history and politics buddy.
Anyone ever notice that when the GAO went from the “Government Accounting Office” to the “Government Accountability Office” it ceased to be about accounting (i.e. looking at how the taxpayers’ money is spent) and became a means to obscure theft and a cudgel by the House? Funny, huh?
Not “Ha Ha” funny.
izlamo delenda est …
“… the nonpartisan government watchdog said.”
There is no such thing.
Mithrandir,
That’s all true prior to the passage and ratification of the 17th. After that the Senate became a “super” House, and, actually, negated the purpose of the House. The States are no longer represented in Congress, thus throwing the whole “Separation of Powers” out of whack (which was the intent).
They plod on maintaining the pretense of Constitutionality, but violate it and abuse it at will (the Trump Impeachment is a fine example of that abuse).
izlamo delenda est …
Allegedly! They forgot say allegedly. All the lefties get allegedly.