Mitt Romney asks impeachment lawyers exactly when and why Trump froze Ukraine military aid

Mitt Romney.
(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

While questioning House impeachment managers and President Trump's lawyers on Wednesday night, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) posed a query: "On what specific date did President Trump first order the hold on security assistance to Ukraine, and did he explain the reason at that time?"

Romney is one of the handful of Republicans who might vote to allow additional witnesses in the impeachment trial.

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One of Trump's lawyers, Patrick Philbin, responded to Romney, "I don't think there is evidence in the record of a specific date." He went on to say that in late June, Trump began asking how much money other NATO members spent to help Ukraine, and insisted Trump was concerned about corruption in the country. "So the evidence in the record shows that the president raised concerns, at least as of June 24th, that people were aware of the hold as of July 3rd," Philbin said.

There is testimony in the record showing that Office of Management and Budget officials knew of a hold on the aid as early as July 3, The New York Times notes. Later that month, on July 25, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and asked him to "do us a favor" and investigate Biden.

Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.