Kellyanne Conway said she doesn’t know whether nearly $400 million in military aid was held up to force Ukraine to launch an investigation into Joe Biden, but said the country has the funds now.
The counselor to President Trump sparred with host Dana Bash during an appearance Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” about whether the aid was used as a quid pro quo.
“They have the aid and they’re using the aid,” Conway said.
Bash asked if President Trump held up the aid to press President Volodymyr Zelensky during a July 25 phone call to investigate Biden, a potential 2020 presidential rival.
Conway accused her of cherry picking testimony several House panels have been hearing in a secure room on Capitol Hill.
“That process has been flawed from the beginning. We cannot unscramble the egg, put the toothpaste back in the tube,” she said.
But Bash continued pressing saying she wasn’t seeking comment about the process but about the substance.
“Was there a time when military aid held up because the president wanted Ukraine to look into the Bidens?” she asked.
“I don’t know. But they’ve got their aid,” Conway replied.
“Here’s what’s absolutely unimpeachably true,” she continued. “Ukraine has that aid. They have more aid than they had during the previous administration.”
Conway added that Zelensky has said he wasn’t aware of the aid being held up and felt no pressure from Trump.
She also said Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, sent a text to acting Ukrainian Ambassador Bill Taylor that the president assured him there was no quid pro quo.
Democrats claim Trump used the military aid, which was approved by Congress in February 2019, as a bargaining chip in his July 25 conversation with Zelensky.
The conversation sparked an impeachment inquiry in the House.
The aid was held up in mid-July over concerns about possible corruption in Ukraine, according to the White House.
The money was released on Sept. 11.
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