Van Hollen Announces Independent GAO Report Showing Trump Administration Broke Law by Illegally Withholding Ukraine Aid

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement in response to the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report confirming that the Trump Administration broke the Impoundment Control Act in its withholding of aid from Ukraine. Senator Van Hollen requested GAO investigate this matter in a letter sent in December:

"This bombshell legal opinion from the independent Government Accountability Office demonstrates, without a doubt, that the Trump Administration illegally withheld security assistance from Ukraine. The publicly available evidence also shows that the President himself ordered this illegal act. This violation of the law reflects a contempt for the Constitution and was a key part of his corrupt scheme to abuse the power of the presidency for his personal political purposes. The GAO’s independent findings reinforce the need for the Senate to obtain all relevant documents and hear from key fact witnesses in order to have a fair trial."