The Defense Department certified the Ukrainian government had taken action to reduce corruption in a May letter, undercutting recent White House claims.

Amid allegations that President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE withheld the aid to pressure Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenFormer Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick Bloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida MORE’s son Hunter, Trump has maintained it was held until September due to worries about corruption within the Ukrainian government.

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However, in the letter, first obtained by NPR, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood tells four congressional committees he has “certified that the Government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defense institutional reforms for the purposes of decreasing corruption (and) increasing accountability."

“The United States remains committed to assisting with the implementation of these reforms to bolster Ukraine’s ability to defend its territorial integrity in support of a secure and democratic Ukraine,” the letter states.

Such a certification was legally required for the release of the $250 million in funds, which were blocked until Sept. 11.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

The allegations that the aid was part of a quid pro quo were part of a whistleblower complaint reviewed by Congress Wednesday, and prompted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiDemocratic senator to party: 'A little message discipline wouldn't kill us' Overnight Health Care: New wave of COVID-19 cases builds in US | Florida to lift all coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, bars | Trump stirs questions with 0 drug coupon plan Overnight Defense: Appeals court revives House lawsuit against military funding for border wall | Dems push for limits on transferring military gear to police | Lawmakers ask for IG probe into Pentagon's use of COVID-19 funds MORE (D-Calif.) to on Tuesday formally announce she would seek an impeachment inquiry as the allegations led numerous former holdouts among House Democrats to endorse impeachment.