President Trump denied sending his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine to seek out damaging information on his political rivals.
Distancing himself from the former New York City mayor like never before, as the House Democrats’ impeachment proceedings dig into the burgeoning Ukraine controversy, Trump characterized Giuliani as acting under his own volition.
“No, I didn’t direct him, but he’s a warrior,” Trump said Monday during a radio interview with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, who asked if the president sent Giuliani to Ukraine to “do anything” or put “heat” on them.
Regarding what Giuliani was doing in Ukraine on his behalf, Trump said, “Well, you have to ask that to Rudy. … I don’t even know. I know he was going to go to Ukraine, and I think he canceled a trip, but you know Rudy has other clients other than me. He’s done a lot of work in Ukraine over the years.”
Giuliani claimed this month that he was conducting his investigation “concerning 2016 Ukrainian collusion and corruption” to defend his client against “false charges.”
House Democrats are speeding ahead with impeachment proceedings looking into Trump allegedly pressuring Ukraine to announce an investigation into his political rivals, including the Bidens, by holding out on delivering nearly $400 million in security aid, which was released in September, and a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A transcript of a July 25 phone call shows Trump suggesting his Ukrainian counterpart talk to Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr.
The Justice Department distanced itself from Giuliani’s actions, saying Trump never told Barr to contact Ukraine about any investigation of 2020 Democratic front-runner Joe Biden or his son, Hunter Biden.
Impeachment witnesses have testified that Giuliani has been involved in “shadow diplomacy” while pushing Ukrainian officials to look into Democratic rivals. Giuliani also appears to have played an influential role in Trump’s decision to recall U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
Yovanovitch testified that she felt “threatened” by Giuliani’s actions while Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland claimed several Ukrainian officials followed Giuliani’s directives as though they came from Trump.
Giuliani, 75, and two of his associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, are reportedly under investigation by the FBI and the Southern District of New York.
Both Parnas and Fruman were arrested in October on charges related to campaign finance violations. Both men have pleaded not guilty. Parnas, however, has signaled his willingness to cooperate in the impeachment process. Authorities issued subpoenas seeking information related to more than a half-dozen crimes as part of their investigation into Giuliani’s consulting firm.
