GAO finds Trump OMB withholding of Ukraine military aid illegal….

The big picture: The GAO found that the OMB violated the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which requires that the White House and its agencies disburse funds appropriated by Congress as directed by the legislative branch.

• The GAO probe was initially requested last year by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
• He told Roll Call that while the abuse of power article of impeachment against Trump does not directly reference a violation of the ICA, it remains “all part of the picture that’s being painted.”
• Michael Duffey, a political appointee at OMB who ordered the hold on Ukraine aid 90 minutes after Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s president, is among the witnesses Democrats want to call at the impeachment trial.

What it means: The only recourse the GAO has for a violation of the ICA is to sue the administration to release the funds, per Roll Call. In this case, the withheld aid was already released in September.

• Van Hollen has proposed an amendment to the ICA that would require OMB to be more transparent in its decisions to withhold funds….

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