WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today asked the following question during today’s question and answer phase of the impeachment trial. He was joined by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Jeanne Shaheen ((D-N.H.):
“The President’s aides and defenders have claimed that it is ‘normal’ or ‘usual’ to use U.S. foreign assistance as the President did to achieve a desired outcome. How was the President’s act in withholding U.S. security assistance to Ukraine different from how the U.S. uses foreign assistance to achieve foreign policy goals and national security objectives, and how should we evaluate the defense argument that this is what is ‘done all the time?’”
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