The State Department released military aid to Ukraine before 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 announced that he had stopped withholding it on Sept. 11, Bloomberg reported reported Saturday, citing five people familiar with the matter.

State Department lawyers had found earlier this year that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and therefore Trump could not legally block the aid, Bloomberg reported, noting that this determination resulted in the release of the $141 million.

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OMB spokeswoman Rachel Semmel challenged this narrative in a statement to The Hill.

"At no point was this pause inappropriate, let alone illegal," Semmel said. "OMB has the statutory role to manage budget execution, consistent with the law and the President’s policy agenda."

"The State Department did not challenge the legality of the review with senior OMB leadership at any point," she added.

Bloomberg reported that then-national security adviser John Bolton John BoltonJudge appears skeptical of Bolton's defense of publishing book without White House approval Maximum pressure is keeping US troops in Iraq and Syria Woodward book trails Bolton, Mary Trump in first-week sales MORE on Sept. 9 told the State Department that the funding could go ahead. It is reportedly unclear whether President Trump had approved this move.

One person familiar with the matter told the news outlet that White House officials viewed the move as a protocol violation and that it had surprised acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney Mick MulvaneyOn The Money: House panel pulls Powell into partisan battles | New York considers hiking taxes on the rich | Treasury: Trump's payroll tax deferral won't hurt Social Security Blockchain trade group names Mick Mulvaney to board Mick Mulvaney to start hedge fund MORE.

Semmel also disputed that in a statement to The Hill, saying that other offices, including the National Security Council, do not "have the authority to release such a funding hold if a policy review is underway."

The funding in question is at the center of the House's impeachment inquiry into Trump. Lawmakers are looking into whether Trump withheld the aid to pressure Ukraine into investigating Democratic presidential candidate 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.