Posted on 01/16/2020 9:47:26 AM PST by RideForever
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a legal opinion on Thursday saying that President Trump's administration broke the law by withholding defense aid to Ukraine — the issue at the heart of the president's impeachment trial. That money, $214 million which had been allocated to the Department of Defense for security assistance, was appropriated by Congress and therefore the administration did not have the right to hold it back just because it disagreed with its allocation, the opinion from the nonpartisan government watchdog said. "Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law," the opinion said. "[The Office of Management and Budget] OMB withheld funds for a policy reason ... not a programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that the OMB violated the ICA [Impoundment Control Act]." The OMB made clear Thursday, however, that it disagreed with the GAO report. “We disagree with GAO's opinion," OMB spokesperson Rachel Semmel said. "OMB uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the President's priorities and with the law."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Sorry boys, you are legislative branch not judicial branch.
+1000!! I say call the SOB as a witness and BBQ him on national TV.
Blame Congress...
Pres. Bush appointee as “acting”. Formal Pres. Obama nominee.
Gene L. Dodaro became the eighth Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on December 22, 2010.
selected by a bipartisan, bicameral congressional commission. He had been serving as Acting Comptroller General since March of 2008.
Congress allocates, the President administers.
The president is the one responsible for the proper use of the funds that congress allocates. Congress does not have a say, nor does the GAO, on how or when the funds are to be used.
The end of the fiscal year is the deadline.
DACA: no bigger breaking of the law than that edict from the Obama administration. Did congress and/or democrats call him on it?
Thank you.
“Do these people WANT a civil war? Because that’s what they’re going to get if they impeach Trump.”
Your words should be on billboards all across the country!
Thank you!
Sorry you feel that way, GAO
Legal opinions are like a-holes..... The GAO is an “independent, non-partisan” agency. Riiiiiiight.
I was always under the impression that Congress allocated and approved funding, and the money had to be spent on what it was allocated for, but that there was never any mandate that it be spent. Unspent budget money goes back into the treasury all the time, doesn’t it?
I think someone at GAO needs to be fired for defrauding the taxpayer by taking government time to write this nonsense report.
“Oh, you were finished.”
“Well then, allow me to retort!”
Collins already brushed off last nights so called story.
she is sticking so far, she dismissed last nights so called story.
And Clinton wasn’t removed even though he committed perjury.
The ‘Deep State’ isn’t dead yet...
But will be!
None of them has ever seen a microphone they won’t talk into. This is apparently a new opportunity as of today.
[[that is being debunked as we converse.]]
Who’s debunking it? Hopefully fox news pundits are, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for that though- Hopefully influential enough people are debunking it, as people don’t really know what the heck it’s all about- they just hear that a gov agency said such and such, and think ‘ooo that’s gotta be bad if a ‘bipartisan’ group says that’?
It makes people’s head spin- they need to have it explained to them- hopefully some main stream sources are doing this like rush? Hannity perhaps?
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