The order to keep a freeze on aid to the Ukraine came directly from President Donald Trump, according to an official from the Office of Management and Budget.

That tidbit was just one of the revelations made in once redacted documents reviewed by Just Security who published their findings in an exclusive report on Thursday.

In reviewing an email from August 30, Just Security reports Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told Elaine McCusker, the acting Pentagon comptroller that there was “clear direction from POTUS to continue to hold.”

The date — August 30 — is significant because the email came on the same day as Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the president to discuss the hold on over $390 million in military aid to the Ukraine.

Just Security also offers this insight into the climate in and around Washington and the White House at the time:

Inside the Trump administration, panic was reaching fever pitch about the president’s funding hold, which had stretched on for two months. Days earlier, POLITICO had broken the story and questions were starting to pile up. U.S. defense contractors were worried about delayed contracts and officials in Kyiv and lawmakers on Capitol Hill wanted to know what on earth was going on. While Trump’s national security team thought withholding the money went against U.S. national security interests, Trump still wouldn’t budge.

In addition to pointing to evidence that Trump may have directly ordered the hold in Ukraine aid, the documents also reveal that the Pentagon had concerns with the legality of holding the funding.

“As August began, the Defense Department had told OMB and the White House its concerns about the legality of the hold and how, as the clock ticked toward the end of the fiscal year, it would become increasingly difficult for the Pentagon to spend the Ukraine funding in time,” Just Security reports, based on their review.

The revelation of the content of the emails raised eyebrows in Washington, especially among Democrats.

“The newly-revealed unredacted emails are a devastating blow to Senator McConnell’s push to have a trial without the documents and witnesses we’ve requested,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement released in response to the report. “These emails further expose the serious concerns raised by Trump administration officials about the propriety and legality of the president’s decision to cut off aid to Ukraine to benefit himself.”

The House Speaker also responded to the report, claiming, “Trump engaged in unprecedented, total obstruction of Congress, hiding these emails, all other documents, and his top aides from the American people.”

Trump engaged in unprecedented, total obstruction of Congress, hiding these emails, all other documents, and his top aides from the American people.

His excuse was a phony complaint about the House process.

What’s the excuse now? Why won’t Trump & McConnell allow a fair trial? https://t.co/S3ZlEJMMDB

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 2, 2020

Read the full report, via Just Security here.

[Image via Getty Images]

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