Trump was briefed on the whistleblower complaint prior to unfreezing military aid to Ukraine a new report claims

Associated Press

President Donald Trump participates in a bill signing ceremony for the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Nov. 25, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

• President Donald Trump was aware of the whistleblower complaint - which alleged that he was using his office for political gain - ahead of releasing nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, The New York Times reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
• This new timing detail puts Trump's motives behind releasing military aid to the country under scrutiny as investigators take under consideration whether or not the complaint played into his decision.
• The whistleblower complaint served as the impetus behind an explosive impeachment inquiry into the president launched by House Democrats.
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President Donald Trump was aware of the whistleblower complaint filed by a member of the intelligence community ahead of releasing nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.

White House lawyers approached the president in late August regarding the complaint, which focuses in on a July 25 phone call in which the president discusses the 2016 election and former Vice President Joe Biden and his son with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The president unfroze military aid to Ukraine in September.

This new timeline detail puts Trump's motives behind releasing military aid to the country under scrutiny as investigators take into consideration whether or not the complaint played into his decision.

The whistleblower complaint, which alleges abuse of power by the president, served as the impetus for the current impeachment inquiry into the president launched by House Democrats. The investigation was launched to determine if Trump was withholding military aid to pressure Ukraine into conducting an investigation into his political opponent, Biden, and his son Hunter, who sits on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

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• Ukraine's President Zelensky said he didn't feel pressured by Trump. Here's why that's bogus.
• Trump is facing impeachment over a whistleblower complaint and a phone call with Ukraine's president. Here's what we know.