Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he never learned why the Trump Administration put a hold on nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine, despite Congressional approval to send the funds.
“I have no idea what precipitated the delay but I was among those advocating that we needed to stick with our Ukrainian friends,” Kentucky Rep. McConnell said Tuesday.
Media reports revealed Tuesday that Trump froze the aid days before a phone call with Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky.
It was during that call, according to a leaked whistleblower complaint, that Trump urged Zelensky to investigate allegations that former Vice President Joe Biden threatened to withhold aid from the country unless it removed a prosecutor targeting a gas company by paying a hefty salary to his son, Hunter Biden.
The former vice president, who leads the field of Democratic presidential contenders and is considered Trump’s chief political rival, denies the charge.
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McConnell said he personally appealed to the White House to send the aid and brought up the matter twice with the defense secretary and once with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“I was not given an explanation,” McConnell said after reporters asked him why the money was frozen.
“Fortunately, it finally happened. I’m glad about that.”
McConnell said the Trump administration has “done a better job actually standing behind the Ukrainians,” than the Obama administration, which initially did not support providing the nation military aid to defend from Russian aggression.
