President Donald Trump's nominee for the military's top weapons buyer, Michael Duffey, is facing scrutiny over his involvement in directing the Pentagon to withhold aid from Ukraine in 2019. This action occurred as Trump sought a commitment from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate the Biden family, a key aspect of Trump's impeachment during his first term.
Duffey, nominated to be the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, previously served as the associate director at the Office of Management and Budget. In July 2019, he instructed the Pentagon to place a hold on $391 million in security assistance for Ukraine, which continued until mid-September. This move was part of Trump's efforts to pressure Zelenskyy to announce an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
