President Trump gave the order to withhold military aid for Ukraine about a week before he reportedly pushed the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden’s son—and administration officials were told to keep Congress in the dark about why, TheWashington Post reported. Three senior administration officials told the newspaper that Trump asked his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to hold back nearly $400 million worth of aid and that the order was relayed to the State Department and the Pentagon in mid-July. On July 25, Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and reportedly asked him eight times to investigate the dealings of Hunter Biden, son of his potential 2020 rival. Administration officials deny there was a quid pro quo.
