OF COURSE WE DID: U.S. quietly sent $221M to Palestinians in Obama’s last hours.

Officials said Monday that the Obama administration– in its waning hours– defied Republican opposition and quietly released $221 million to the Palestinian Authority that GOP members of Congress had been blocking.

A State Department official and several congressional aides told The Associated Press that the outgoing administration formally notified Congress it would spend the money Friday morning.

The official said former Secretary of State John Kerry had informed some lawmakers of the move shortly before he left the State Department for the last time Thursday.

The aides said written notification dated Jan. 20 was sent to Congress just hours before Donald Trump took the oath of office.

The money had been previously approved by Congress, but members of the House Appropriations Committee had placed a hold on it, a request which the executive branch usually respects.