Trump's Own Accountability Office Finds Trump Violated Law By Withholding Ukraine Aid

During the House's impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump last year, Republicans challenged Democrats to find a law that Trump broke by withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine, pressuring the country's officials to open an investigation into his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Some House Democrats insisted that Trump violated the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 law limiting the President's ability to withhold funds already allocated by Congress.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the highest audit institution of the U.S. federal government, just took those Democrats' side.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told GAO that the aid to Ukraine was withheld to make sure that the transaction was congruent with the President's policy initiative.

That didn't sit well with the Government Accountability Office:

"Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law. OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act. The withholding was not a programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the ICA."

The OMB disagreed with GAO's findings, but CNN legal analyst Elie Honig gave this disagreement some necessary context.

The findings added even more pressure on Senators to conduct a fair impeachment trial instead of one designed to benefit Donald Trump.

Senators will today take an oath of impartiality before the trial of Donald Trump begins.

Let's hope they keep it.