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McCusker submitted her resignation as deputy undersecretary of
defense (comptroller) effective June 26, Esper said in a
statement, thanking her for her public service and contributions
to the Pentagon's budgeting and audit processes.
Trump last year nominated McCusker to be promoted to
undersecretary of defense (comptroller), but withdrew the
nomination in March, after the White House ousted several other
officials who had testified at his impeachment inquiry.
Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led House of
Representatives in December. Democrats said Trump held back $391
million in security aid to Ukraine and a White House meeting for
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as leverage to force Kyiv into
interfering in the 2020 U.S. presidential election by smearing
Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
Trump, who branded the impeachment effort a witch hunt, was
acquitted in February after a trial in the U.S. Senate, where
his fellow Republicans have a majority.
Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Armed
Services Committee, said in March that witness testimony and
leaked emails between McCusker and the Office of Management and
Budget showed that she had repeatedly raised concerns about
Trump's hold on Ukraine security assistance and "sought to
ensure that the Administration was in compliance with the law."
(Reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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