Ukraine In The Membrane, Con't

White House staffers are bailing on the S.S. Orange Orangutan as Trump regime flunkies are desperately trying to flee the sinking ship of state.

Political appointees in the White House budget office intervened to freeze aid to Ukraine despite some career staffers raising concerns that the move was improper, people briefed on the matter said.

Acknowledging some of the concerns, White House budget aides eventually disclosed to other government officials that the money was being frozen outside of the normal “apportionment” process. But they didn’t give officials at the State Department or other agencies a reason the money was being withheld, or who had initially made the decision to freeze it, after substantive discussions about whether the move was legal.

The un­or­tho­dox steps were carried out in connection with Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget. Duffey was involved in approving orders to hold back nearly $400 million in congressionally approved military aid for Ukraine, according to people familiar with what transpired.

And who is Michael Duffy?  A Republican who got a promotion.

Another Wisconsinite is reportedly tangled up in the probe into President Donald Trump's efforts to get Ukraine to investigate his opponent Joe Biden. 

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Michael Duffey, a politically appointed Office of Management and Budget official, was given authority by the White House to keep aid to Ukraine on hold after career budget staff members questioned the legality of delaying the funds. 

Duffey previously served as executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. 

"While career civil servants put an initial hold on the aid, Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs in OMB, was given the authority for continuing to keep the aid on hold after the career staff began raising their concerns to political officials at OMB, according to people familiar with the matter," the newspaper reported.

The former GOP party head in Wisconsin.  A state Trump won by fewer than 25,000 votes that had just implemented a major voter suppression protocol.  And he got kicked upstairs into a nice cushy Trump regime job for delivering his state to handle, specifically, the budget for national security programs.  You know, like defense of America's voting systems from foreign interference.

And he's the guy who had the authority to block Ukrainian aid.

Any political fiction editor reading these facts as the plot of a manuscript this would demand a rewrite.