By Tatiana Prophet

In the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Democrats have pointed to lethal defensive aid for Ukraine that was held up by the President as a clear example of abuse of power.

According to a Government Accountability Office decision released Jan. 16, 2020, President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) violated the law when he ordered a pause in lethal aid to Ukraine that was authorized by the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019.

“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 decision stated. “OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA). The withholding was not a programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the ICA.”