Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney continued to deny there was a quid pro quo regarding delayed military aid, after his press conference fueled the impeachment inquiry on Capitol Hill.
“That’s what people are saying what I said,” he said on Fox News Sunday. “Did I have a perfect press conference? No. But the facts are on our side.”
Mr. Mulvaney’s comments only fanned the flames of Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff saying they made things “much, much worse.”
On Thursday, Mr. Mulvaney linked the nearly $400 million in delayed military aid for Ukraine to the administration’s desire for an investigation into the 2016 election and whether DNC servers were located in the foreign country.
He later walked back his remarks and said the news media misconstrued them to further their “witch hunt.”
Mr. Mulvaney continued to walk back his comments on Sunday, saying there were three conditions related to the aid: looking into corruption in Ukraine, considering levels of aid from European countries, and participation in the ongoing Justice Department investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation.
“I never said there was a quid pro quo because there isn’t,” he said, arguing proof of that was in the fact that the aid eventually went to Ukraine.
Despite the blowback from the press conference, Mr. Mulvaney said he “absolutely, positively” has no plans to resign.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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