WTF Just Happened Today

Monday, December 23, 2019

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1/ A White House budget official directed the Defense Department to "hold off" on sending military aid to Ukraine less than two hours after Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to newly released emails. Roughly 90 minutes after Trump's call with Zelensky, Michael Duffey, a senior budget official, told Pentagon officials that Trump was personally interested in the Ukraine aid and had ordered the hold himself. Duffey also told the Pentagon to keep the information "closely held to those who need to know to execute the direction" due to "the sensitive nature of the request." The emails show Trump first became interested in the aid to Ukraine after seeing an article in the Washington Examiner on June 19 titled, "Pentagon to send $250M in weapons to Ukraine," and that some officials were concerned that withholding the aid could be a violation of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Democrats are citing the emails to fuel renewed calls for witnesses to testify in the Senate impeachment trial. (Washington Post / NBC News / New York Times / CNN / Reuters / CBS News)

2/ Mitch McConnell suggested that Republicans had not ruled out hearing witnesses at Trump's impeachment trial, but wouldn't agree in advance to the Democrat's request for witness testimony. In a bid to pressure Senate Republicans to reach an agreement with Chuck Schumer on trial rules, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hasn't transmitted the Senate the impeachment articles necessary to begin the trial, saying Democrats need to know "what sort of trial the Senate will conduct." McConnell, meanwhile, called Pelosi's position "absurd," adding that he's at an "impasse" with Schumer on the rules of the trial. (Reuters / CNN / Washington Post)

• The White House is considering making the argument that Trump has not officially been impeached because Pelosi has not transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Officials plan to use the delay to argue that the Democrats have little faith in their own case for impeachment and are scared to trigger a trial they know they will lose. Officials also say Trump, while "angry" about what he views as an unfair process, is actually in a "very good mood," and feels confident he can win the messaging war via Twitter. (CBS News)

3/ U.S. military and intelligence officials are concerned that North Korea is poised to test an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching American shores in the next few days or weeks. Satellite photos indicate that North Korea has...

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