The May Certification News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

This brings me to the topic of todays proceedings. I would like to recap my recollection of the timeline in which these events played out. I testified about all of this at length in my deposition. In july, i became aware of a hold being placed on obligation of the State Departments military financing or fmf and dods usai fund. In meetings i heard the president directed the Office Of Management And Budget to hold the funds because of his concern for corruption in ukraine. Let me say at the outset i have never discussed this or any other matter with the president and never heard directly from hi...

National security community expressed unanimous support for resuming funding in the u.s. national security interests. at the july 26th meeting there was also a discussion how ukrainian anti-corruption efforts were making progress. dod reiterated what we had said in our earlier certification to congress stating sufficient reform including anti-corruption to justify the usai spending. i and others at the interagency meetings felt that the matter was particularly urgent because it takes time to obligate that amount of money. my understanding was the money was legally required to be obligated by s...

That approximates my understanding of the provision. >> okay. i will go with that approximate. thank you very much. i yield back the balance of my time. >> as paul harvey said, the rest of the story. my colleague failed to put certain issues with respect to certification. dod certification was not for corruption throughout the entire country of ukraine, it was institutional reforms and combat capability, is that correct? >> yes, sir. >> first, thank you for being here this afternoon. i appreciate that. my colleague seemed to leave that out. he read your statement but the corrective emphasis. t...

Defense works with the state department and other agencies to establish anti-corruption benchmarks and determine whether ukraine has efficiently met those bench marks, correct? >> that's correct. that provision pertains to the ukraine security assistance initiative. >> that's a legally specified process. that's not the president in the oval office manifesting general skepticism of foreign aid, is that right? >> it is a congressionally mandated process, yes, sir. >> did that process take place for the dod funding held up in july? >> the process that took place for the certification took place p...

Department of defense works with the state department and other agencies to establish anti-corruption benchmarks and determine whether ukraine has sufficiently met those benchmarks, correct? >> that's correct. that provision pertains to the ukraine security assistance initiative. >> that's a legally specified process. that's not the president in the oval office manifesting a general skepticism of foreign aid. right? >> it is a congressionally mandated process, yes, sir. >> did that process take place for the dod funding that was held up in july? >> sir, the process that took place for the cert...