Secretary of Defense Mark Esper disputed a key claim made by House Democrats during their impeachment inquiry, saying the move to withhold $400 million to Ukraine didn’t impact U.S. national security.
Democrats have claimed President Donald Trump held back the aid to Ukraine in exchange for politically advantageous investigations, which the president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy have both denied. During the course of House hearings, some Democratic lawmakers and bureaucrats have said the withholding of aid was damaging to U.S. national security.
