Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) expressed concern on Monday regarding the $95 billion Senate bill allocated for funding the Ukraine War. He highlighted the presence of an “impeachment time bomb” within the bill, which could potentially target former President Donald Trump if he secures reelection in November. Senator Vance urged his fellow Republican colleagues to oppose this bill and vote against it.
“Buried in the bill’s text is an impeachment time bomb for the next Trump presidency if he tries to stop funding the war in Ukraine. We must vote against this disastrous bill,” Vance posted on X.
“A standard period of availability” for money that is a 1) hotly contested political issue and 2) was literally already used as a pretext to impeach Trump.
These people don’t even try anymore. https://t.co/9YP5T5R2eL
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) February 12, 2024
Elon Musk added: “This is insane.”
This is insane https://t.co/tKgaz0pSBZ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 12, 2024
Vance, on Monday, circulated a memorandum to his Republican counterparts, emphasizing that the legislation would provide financial support to Ukraine until September 30, 2025. This duration would extend almost a year into the potential second term of President Trump, in the event of his reelection.
Vance wrote in his memo:
“The bill includes $1.6 billion for foreign military financing in Ukraine, and $13.7 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. These funds expire on September 30, 2025—nearly a year into the possible second term of President Trump.”
It was observed that those accounts were identical to the ones for which then-President Trump faced impeachment in December 2019.
At that time, Alexander Vindman, who served as an Army Lt. Col., and his twin brother Eugene Vindman, an Army Col., were employed in the National Security Council. They alleged that Trump withheld the aid in order to obtain damaging information about then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s business activities in Ukraine.
Vance further went on to note
“The false argument put forward by Democrats was/is as follows: as President Trump had allegedly paused these funds because he wished to see the corrupt nexus between the Biden family and Ukraine investigated, President Trump had abused his power, with the aim of interfering with the U.S. presidential election.”
Remove the impeachment time bomb from the Senate bill – or vote no.
How ridiculous is this secret set of handcuffs!!?? WOW.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 12, 2024