A criminal investigation into whether Ukrainians interfered in the 2020 election was revealed on Thursday.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, as well as the FBI, are looking into current and former Ukrainian officials suspected of meddling in the contest by spreading claims of corruption about President Joe Biden, sources told the New York Times.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani, who was ex-President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer during the Russia investigation and two impeachment fights, is being scrutinized for his role in proliferating the claims about Biden, but he is reportedly not a subject of the inquiry.
“When you investigate allegations of corruption, you talk to all sorts of people; some are credible, and some are not,” said Robert Costello, Giuliani’s lawyer, who added that “someday the truth will come out” about Biden’s dealings in Ukraine.
One person who is said to be a focus of the inquiry is Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian legislator who has been accused by the United States of being a Russian agent. Giuliani met with Derkach, who has denied working for any foreign intelligence agencies, but insisted he had “no reason” to believe him to be a Russian agent.
Derkach was sanctioned by the Treasury Department, which called him an “active Russian agent” in September. Another round of sanctions was announced by the Trump administration in January against a group of former Ukrainian officials who worked to “undermine the 2020 U.S. elections,” targeting a network of individuals and shell companies tied to Derkach. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Derkach said the September blacklist decision was “revenge” by Biden’s “deep state associates.”
After publication of its report on Thursday, the New York Times reported on Friday that a representative for Derkach shared a statement in which he described himself as being subject to a smear campaign by U.S. media and claimed the materials he released were accurate and revealed “international corruption.”
Giuliani, 76, is separately under federal investigation in Manhattan over whether he illegally lobbied the Trump administration in 2019 on behalf of Ukrainian individuals who were assisting him in digging up dirt on the former president’s political rivals, including the Bidens. Last month, the federal officials raided his New York City office and apartment, seizing electronic devices.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Giuliani has denied ever representing a foreign national and claims the seized materials are “exculpatory” evidence.
Spokespeople for the U.S. attorney’s offices in Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as the FBI, declined requests from the New York Times for comment.
