President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani said the president has asked him to brief both the Department of Justice and Republican senators on his findings from his recent trip to Ukraine.
“He wants me to do it,” Giuliani told the Washington Post in an interview published Tuesday. “I’m working on pulling it together and hope to have it done by the end of the week.”
It is unclear, however, whether GOP lawmakers or DOJ officials actually want to hear the information from Giuliani, as his trip to Europe last week sparked controversy and condemnation. Sen. Lindsey Graham, for example, has said that he does not plan to have the attorney appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Likewise, Attorney General William Barr has warned Trump that Giuliani is becoming a liability for him.
The news comes after Trump has repeatedly claimed he never directed Giuliani to dig up dirt on his political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden. Two White House officials told the Washington Post that the president did not instruct Giuliani to go to Ukraine. While members of Trump’s staff expressed displeasure with Giuliani’s trip, the president himself appeared pleased.
“He says he has a lot of good information,” Trump said. “I hear he has found plenty.”
Giuliani, who is under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York and is being investigated along with two of his recently indicted associates over his consulting business, maintained that he has committed no wrongdoing and called the investigation into him “unfair” and “vindictive.”
“I believe that the leaks and the investigation is intended to intimidate me as the president’s lawyer,” he said. “I am fully confident that I did not commit any crimes of any kind. They’re going after the wrong guy. The more they try to intimidate me, the more I think, I better go get additional evidence.”
While in Kyiv last week, the attorney met with Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker who claimed he handed Giuliani documents relating to allegations of inefficient expenditure of U.S. funds on projects in the country. He reportedly wanted to meet with former prosecutor Viktor Shokin as well, but he was unable to attend.
House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against President Trump on Tuesday, including abuse of power and obstruction of Congress relating to his July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine, during which he pressed the foreign leader to investigate Biden and his son Hunter.
