Acting Pentagon comptroller to resign

By Tony Bertuca / June 16, 2020 at 7:41 PM

Acting Pentagon comptroller Elaine McCusker is resigning from the Defense Department, according to a statement from Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

McCusker, who was confirmed as deputy comptroller in August 2017, was nominated to serve as Pentagon comptroller last November, but President Trump withdrew her nomination in March following reports about internal emails in which she opposed the White House decision to withhold aid from Ukraine, a matter that was at the center of Trump's impeachment.

Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office found in January that the White House Office of Management and Budget violated the law when it withheld $214 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine over the summer, the very concern McCusker reportedly voiced in multiple emails to OMB.

Esper said McCusker would officially leave the Pentagon on June 26.

"Since joining the Department of Defense Elaine has worked tirelessly to ensure that our budgeting and audit processes give full value to the taxpayer while meeting the enormous security needs of our nation as well as the men and women who serve it," he said. "I am grateful for her dedication to public service and the contributions that she has made to the department and wish her the very best in her future endeavors."

207948