Several conservatives say they believe there are “hidden” provisions in the National Security Supplemental Act that could provide grounds for impeaching former President Donald Trump if he is elected president later this year. – Agreeing with a memo from Sen. D. Vance that was circulated early Monday morning.
Vance sent a memo to Republican lawmakers emphasizing that the bill, which would send billions of federal dollars to Ukraine, guarantees funding through September 2025. However, Trump has vowed to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of his inauguration, which would also end his funding.
Vance’s memo said the additional bill is “a foreign policy package that seeks to prevent President Trump from pursuing the policies he desires and, if he does, provide grounds to impeach him and undermine his administration.” “It represents an attempt by the deep state.” He appealed to Republicans to block its passage.
Sen.Vance memo warns Republican colleagues about ‘systemic failures’ in US aid to Ukraine
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, warned his Republican colleagues that the proposed Ukraine aid bill could be used to impeach former President Trump if he is reelected in November. . (Getty Images)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Monday he supports Vance’s memo, arguing that Democrats are “preparing” for a possible Trump victory.
“They are locking up foreign aid that will tie the hands of the next president,” Paul said in an interview on Fox News Digital. “So I think this is a terrible idea. But then again, if the next president tries to have a different policy, I can see Democrats starting to impeach again.”
“I think they’re trying to impeach him before he’s even sworn in as president, which is exactly what it is,” he said.
Senator Rand Paul speaks during a coronavirus response hearing at the Capitol on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Joe Radle)
Mark Paoletta, who served as general counsel for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital that the provisions in the bill are “an attempt to inappropriately tie President-elect Trump’s hands through a lock-in.” ”. Ukraine has provided funding for multiple years. ”
“In a presidential election year, Congress should not make long-term funding commitments that try to tie the hands of the next commander-in-chief, especially on foreign policy,” Paoletta said. “President Trump had the right to suspend funding to Ukraine for approximately 60 days, given his concerns about corruption in Ukraine and the optimal use of those funds.”
He added, “As OMB General Counsel, I provided the legal justification for suspending funding, and I intend to do so today as well.”
Former Trump Cabinet member Russ Vought also agreed with Vance’s memo, saying in a post on X that Vance was “absolutely correct to interpret these Ukraine provisions this way.”
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President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, September 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said the bill’s provisions “will force us to send and spend money for Ukraine.”
“This is in the bill,” Tuberville told FOX News Digital. “So this is just another situation where Democrats are doing something and making sure that money goes to certain areas that are not being utilized by American taxpayers and this country.”
The Trump administration, through OMB, withheld approximately $400 million in security assistance from Ukraine in 2019. This was just before President Trump asked Ukrainian President Voldomir Zelensky to investigate the family of his 2020 rival Joe Biden. It is said that President Zelenskyy was withheld from a visit to the Oval Office in exchange for the investigation.
These actions spurred impeachment efforts against Trump, which ultimately resulted in his acquittal.
President Trump has said that if elected president this year, he would resolve the Ukraine war “within 24 hours.”
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Senator Rand Paul speaks during a coronavirus response hearing at the Capitol on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Joe Radle)
The supplemental package, expected for final passage in the Senate this week, would send billions of federal dollars to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific. The text of the bill includes $1.6 billion in funding for Ukraine’s military, as well as just under $14 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which expires on September 30, 2025.
“These are the very same charges that President Trump was impeached for in December 2019 for inactivity,” Vance said in a memo distributed to Republican offices early Monday morning. “Every House Republican voted against this impeachment resolution.”
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The Senate is gearing up for a final vote Monday night, despite several opposition Republicans avoiding agreeing time to continue the filibuster, pushing the additional package forward for a final vote this week. There is. It is unclear whether the bill will pass in the Republican-led House of Representatives.
An earlier version of the bill, which included border-related provisions, failed to pass in the Senate last week.
The offices of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky Republican Party did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Vance’s memo.
FOX News’ Tyler Olson and Anders Hagström contributed to this report.
