Condoleezza Rice called President Trump’s request for Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden “out of bounds” at a conference in Abu Dhabi.
Rice, 64, called Trump’s policy in Ukraine “deeply troubling” because of the role being played by non-State Department actors, such as Rudy Giuliani.
Giuliani had been in talks with Ukrainian leaders in an attempt to dig up dirt on Biden and his son Hunter Biden. His unofficial efforts concerned many, including Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Masha Yovanovitch, who told Congress she felt “threatened” by Giuliani during her closed-door impeachment testimony.
“What I see right now troubles me. I see a state of conflict between the foreign policy professionals and someone who says he’s acting on behalf of the president but frankly, I don’t know if that is the case,” Rice explained, adding, “It is troubling. It is deeply troubling.”
She warned against allowing people outside the administration to act on the president’s behalf, especially internationally.
“This is just not a good thing. The world shouldn’t get confusing messages from the United States of America,” Rice noted.
Beyond Giuliani’s efforts in Ukraine, Rice condemned Trump for asking a foreign power to investigate a U.S. citizen instead of doing the investigation internally.
“The call is murky, it is really murky. I don’t like for the president of the United States to mention an American citizen for investigation to a foreign leader. I think that is out of bounds,” she said.
Rice was secretary of state under President George W. Bush and has criticized Trump before, urging him to watch his rhetoric when dealing with foreign powers.
