WALLACE: Why — here’s my first question. Why did you say that in that briefing that President Trump had ordered a . . . quid pro quo, that investigating the Democrats, that aid to Ukraine depended on investigating the Democrats? Why did you say that?

MULVANEY: Again, that's not what I said. That's what people said I said.

Here's what I said, I'll say it again and hopefully people will listen this time.

There were two reasons that we held up the aid. We talked about this at some length. The first one was the rampant corruption in Ukraine. Ukraine — by the way, Chris, it’s so bad in Ukraine that in 2014, Congress passed a law making it — making us — requiring us to make sure that corruption was moving in the right direction. So, corruption is a big deal, everyone knows it.

The president was also concerned about whether or not other nations, specifically European nations, were helping with foreign aid to the Ukraine as well. We talked about that for quite a while now.

. . .

WALLACE: Let’s play what you said.

MULVANEY: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MULVANEY: Did he also mention to me in the past that the corruption related to the DNC server? Absolutely, no question about that. But that's it, and that's what we held up the money.

REPORTER: What you just described is a quid pro quo. It is, funding will not flow unless the investigation into the — into the Democrats’ server happened as well.

MULVANEY: We do — we do that all the time with foreign policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: You were asked specifically by Jonathan Karl, was investigating Democrats one of the conditions for holding up the aid?

MULVANEY: Yes.

WALLACE: Was that part of the quid pro quo? And you said, it happens all the time.

MULVANEY: Yes. But go back and watch what I said before that. I don't know if you guys can cue it or not. There was a long answer about corruption and a long answer about foreign aid.

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: No, you totally said that.

MULVANEY: Just like I told you then, and then I said the exact same thing I just said now, which is that he mentioned in passing yes, but the reason that we held back the aid with the two reasons I mentioned. And I can prove it to you. The aid flowed.

Once we were able to satisfy ourselves that corruption was actually — they were doing better with it, we got that information from our folks from the conversation with Minister Zelensky and once we were able to establish we had the Office of Management and Budget do research on other countries’ aid to Ukraine, it turns out they don’t get any lethal aid, but they do give a considerable sum of money and nonlethal aid.

Once those two things were cleared, the money flowed. There was never any connection between the flow of money and the server.

WALLACE: But, Mick, you know, I hate to go through this, but you said what you said.

MULVANEY: Yes.

WALLACE: And the fact is, after that exchange with Jonathan Karl, you were asked another time why the aid was held up. What was the condition for the aid? And you didn’t mention two conditions, you mentioned three conditions.