Former Richard Nixon White House counsel John Dean suggested that President Donald Trump was “certainly” told and informed that it is illegal to withhold Congressionally mandated aid to a foreign country.

Dean’s comments came just hours after Just Security released a report detailing formerly redacted emails. In those emails, Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at the Office of Management wrote that there was  “clear direction” from Trump to continue the hold on funds to the Ukraine.

Noting that there was “concern about the legality from the get-go,” and the Defense Department said the funds needed to be released, CNN’s Erin Burnett asked Dean, “Is there any doubt that the president of the United States did not know that there was a wide belief that what he was doing was illegal?”

Dean said there was little doubt Trump was at least told it was illegal and he “cannot envision him not knowing.”

“Who knows what goes on in his mind and what he listens to?” Dean said. “But he was certainly told. He was certainly informed and it was certainly illegal.”

He added that the law was established in the Nixon years.

“They established the law then that you could not withhold spending by Congress,” Dean explained.  “So it’s well known publicly. I mean, I can’t imagine a man would become president and not know that. So there’s just no justification for this.”

Watch above, via CNN

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