We know, too, how discussions of a possible White House meeting were repeatedly conflated with those investigations. Trump, Sondland replied, making explicit the secondary channel for Ukraine policy through which the apparent effort to pressure Zelensky would flow. That same day, the Department of Defense announced $250 million in military aid to Ukraine, aid that had been approved by Congress months earlier. The next day, Aug. 10, Yermak proposed releasing the statement only after the date for a White House meeting was set, recognizing the inherent quid pro quo. He sent a draft statement on Aug. 12, but it didn’t include specific mentions of the investigations Trump wanted to see.

Source: Washington Post December 04, 2019 22:25 UTC