WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, said on Thursday that the White House had never required Ukraine to investigate the 2016 U.S. election in exchange for military aid, reversing comments he made earlier that day.

“Let me be clear, there was absolutely no quid pro quo between Ukrainian military aid and any investigation into the 2016 election ... There never was any condition on the flow of the aid related to the matter of the DNC server,” Mulvaney said, using a Latin term to mean a favor in exchange for a favor and referring to the Democratic National Committee.

Mulvaney said to reporters earlier on Thursday that there was “no question” that the DNC server was one of the reasons why the White House delayed providing Ukraine with the funds.