The opposition of top security officials of the United States to President Donald Trump's demand that military help for Ukraine be put on hold, allegedly in order to lever Kiev's contribution in his own election campaign, was stronger than previously thought, The New York Times said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th December, 2019) The opposition of top security officials of the United States to President Donald Trump's demand that military help for Ukraine be put on hold, allegedly in order to lever Kiev's contribution in his own election campaign, was stronger than previously thought, The New York Times said on Monday.
In a phone conversation in July, Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter for possible corruption-related misdeeds, which allegedly was a quid pro quo for Kiev to receive $391 million worth of military aid from Washington.
The newspapers said it had spoken with tens of former and current US officials familiar with the matter and found that Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the national security adviser at the time, John Bolton, were in strong opposition to Trump's demand to halt the military aid for Ukraine since he first inquired about it in mid-June.
According to the report, they held a previously undisclosed meeting with the president in Oval Office in August where they tried but failed to convince him that releasing the aid for Ukraine was ultimately in the interests of the US.
The president's demand reportedly caused conflicts and confusion in the White House and Pentagon, creating deep rifts within the senior ranks of his administration.
On December 19, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The vote came after the House conducted an impeachment inquiry and concluded that Trump's conversation with Zelenskyy amounted to soliciting foreign meddling in the US electoral process. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly dismissing the impeachment inquiry as a witch hunt aimed at reversing the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
