Leading Senate Democrats are demanding information from Defense Secretary Mark Esper on what the Pentagon knew about the Trump administration’s decision to withhold military aid to Ukraine, a decision at the center of President Trump’s impeachment fight.
In a letter Tuesday, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s ranking Democrat, and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the leading Democrat on the Senate Appropriations defense subpanel, wrote that the temporary hold on the funds “raises serious concerns about the department’s management of security assistance and the administration’s compliance with its statutory obligations.”
Last month, House Democrats announced a formal impeachment inquiry based on their suspicions that Mr. Trump tried to pressure the president of Ukraine into investigating former Vice President Joseph R. Biden and his son Hunter by withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in promised military aid to the country over the summer.
The support package included rocket-propelled grenade launchers, night-vision goggles and sophisticated communications equipment.
“We are deeply concerned that the administration decided to delay execution of this critical military aid to Ukraine and failed to inform the committees of this decision or provide a reason for the delay,” the senators wrote.
According to a press release, they are seeking information about what role Pentagon officials played in the holdup, and who directed them to do so.
Mr. Esper and former National Security Adviser John Bolton were reportedly instructed by Mr. Trump in June to review the aid package, but it remains unclear what the president specifically requested be reviewed.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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