President Trump talked about his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani conducting research in Ukraine “very legally.”
The president previously said he “didn’t direct” Giuliani to conduct Ukraine-related investigations into his political rivals, the investigations of which were the subject of impeachment proceedings, but, in a Thursday interview, he appeared to accept the premise that he was involved.
Fox News’s Geraldo Rivera asked the president on his show Roadkill with Geraldo if he was “sorry” he sent Giuliani to Ukraine. “Was it strange to send Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine, your personal lawyer? Are you sorry you did that?” Rivera asked.
“Not at all. Rudy was a great crime fighter. You know that, maybe better than anybody, and Rudy is totally on his game,” Trump said.
The president praised Giuliani’s record as mayor of New York City and seemed to justify sending his personal lawyer to the foreign country.
“I was illegally spied on by [James] Comey, [John] Brennan, and all the sleaze of the world,” Trump said, listing several other top officials previously within the government.
“So, when you tell me, why did I use Rudy, and one of the things about Rudy, No. 1, he was one of the very best prosecutors and the best mayor,” Trump said. “But, also, other presidents had them … they all had lawyers … and they do things for them. It’s really circumventing, but very legally, and maybe getting things done faster,” Trump said, indicating that he could not give an official title to Giuliani.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for further comment on whether Trump has changed his position on being involved with Giuliani’s Ukraine dealings.
Giuliani has insisted he has been working on Trump’s behalf to find evidence to undercut claims levied against his client.
Democrats accused Trump of improperly pressuring Ukraine for political dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden and others in exchange for foreign aid, using Giuliani to conduct shadow diplomacy outside of normal channels in meeting with Ukrainians to conduct research on alleged corruption.
In December, Trump became the third president to be impeached. He was acquitted on both articles of impeachment, which included abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, by the GOP-controlled Senate last week.
