Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday he continues to search for “more information” on former Vice President Joe Biden in Ukraine, even though his shadow foreign policy led to President Donald Trump’s impeachment.
Giuliani told NPR that he is still seeking “more information” about Biden’s activities in Ukraine despite officials in the country disputing his false narrative that Biden interfered in an investigation involving a Ukrainian gas firm whose board included his son, Hunter Biden. Numerous Republican senators have said Trump’s actions were “wrong” and “shameful,” albeit while defending their votes to acquit him.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she would vote to acquit Trump, because she thinks the president “learned” a “big lesson” from impeachment. Trump immediately rejected her argument, insisting to a room full of journalists that he did nothing wrong and simply had a “perfect call.”
Several other Republicans agreed that Trump would “think twice” before soliciting foreign help in an election. Giuliani blew up those arguments, telling NPR that he was still working to uncover information that could potentially help Trump re-election.
“He hasn’t told me not to do it,” Giuliani said.
Giuliani told the outlet that Trump should “absolutely, 100%” investigate the Bidens after his Senate trial.
“In fact, I’d have a problem with him not doing it. I think he would be saying that Joe Biden can get away with selling out the United States, making us a fool in the Ukraine,” Giuliani said. He contradicted himself moments later, insisting that the “whole Ukrainian thing is misrepresented,” because “it has nothing to do with Biden.”
“I believe that it would be one of the great corrupt events in American history if this case is not investigated at the highest levels,” he added.
The Justice Department has thus far repeatedly denied that it has anything to do with Giuliani’s efforts, even though Trump urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to involve Attorney General Bill Barr in their July 25 phone call.
In fact, the Justice Department is reportedly investigating Giuliani after the arrest of his former associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who played a key role in Giuliani’s efforts in Ukraine.
Giuliani’s comments came after numerous Republicans predicted that Trump had “learned” his lesson after being impeached over the Ukraine effort.
“I believe that the president has learned from this case,” Collins also told CBS News on Tuesday. “I believe that he will be much more cautious in the future.”
“I would think you would think twice before you did it again,” Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., predicted in an interview with NBC News, calling Trump’s actions “inappropriate.”
“Hopefully, it’ll be instructive,” Sen. Mike Braun, R-Indiana, told NBC.
But Trump quickly rejected those claims, arguing that he did nothing wrong and insisting that his discussion with Zelensky was a “perfect call,” a claim he has made at least 75 times since the impeachment inquiry got underway, according to The Washington Post. Trump feels even more emboldened as he expects an easy acquittal, Axios reported.
“Trump and his entire inner circle convey supreme self-confidence, bordering on a sense of invincibility,” the outlet reported. “Over the past month, Trumpworld’s sense of being unbeatable has only grown.”
Giuliani insisted that Republicans condemning the Ukraine expedition were wrong, in spite of a months-long impeachment process including testimony from numerous administration officials and extensive evidence.
“Lamar is wrong, and Lamar is a good friend of mine, and he’s a fine man except he doesn’t know all the facts,” Giuliani told NPR. He “only knows half the facts. A lot of them distorted.”
Asked whether he would turn over his alleged evidence to the Justice Department, Giuliani claimed he was unable to respond.
“It would be privileged material,” he said. “I can’t tell you if I did or didn’t do something with the Justice Department.”
Listen to Giuliani’s NPR interview here:
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