The Associated Press reports:
The Trump administration has quietly released more than $100 million in military assistance to Lebanon after months of unexplained delay that led some lawmakers to compare it to the aid for Ukraine at the center of the impeachment inquiry.
The $105 million in Foreign Military Financing funds for the Lebanese Armed Forces was released just before the Thanksgiving holiday and lawmakers were notified of the step on Monday, according to two congressional staffers and an administration official.
The White House has yet to offer any explanation for the delay despite repeated queries from Congress. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., had been pressing the administration since October to either release the funds or explain why it was being withheld.
Just stunning. Holding the money weakened the Lebanese military just at the moment that they were holding the country together. There’s literally nothing in the Middle East this White House can’t screw up (State and DoD opposed the hold FYI). https://t.co/tPll4bfmMn
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 2, 2019
The Trump administration has released more than $100 million in assistance to Lebanon that had been on hold in recent months.
A congressional aide also said the administration “has not provided any explanation of why it was held” in the first place https://t.co/tUVCKTBcEY
— POLITICO (@politico) December 2, 2019