Trump stands by Giuliani in Ukraine probe
Aides insist president cut ties with lawyer
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Saturday stood behind personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, one of his highest-profile and most vocal defenders, amid reports that federal prosecutors in the city Mr Giuliani led as mayor are eyeing him for possible lobbying violations.
However, behind the scenes, many of Mr Trump’s closest aides and advisers, inside and outside the White House, quietly wish the president would cut ties with Mr Giuliani, whose leadership of New York after the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks earned him worldwide admiration and the moniker of “America’s mayor”.
Mr Giuliani was a force in Mr Trump’s defence during the lengthy Russia investigation by the special counsel. Yet, the effort to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller led Mr Giuliani to Ukraine, which now entangles the former federal prosecutor and mayor in legal jeopardy and is central to the danger threatening the presidency he laboured to protect.
The New York Times reported on Friday, citing a pair of anonymous sources familiar with the matter, that the investigation is linked to Mr Giuliani’s efforts to undermine Marie Yovanovitch, formerly the US ambassador to Ukraine. The US attorney’s office in Manhattan has declined to comment on the Times report.
Two Florida businessmen with ties to Mr Giuliani were charged on Thursday with federal campaign finance violations. Both played key roles in Mr Giuliani’s efforts to get Ukraine to launch a corruption investigation into Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who sat on the board of a gas company there.
On Saturday, Mr Trump deployed in Mr Giuliani’s defence the same twoword phrase — “Witch Hunt!’’ — he repeatedly used to attack the legitimacy of the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and now the House impeachment inquiry against him.
“So now they are after the legendary ‘crime buster’ and greatest Mayor in the history of NYC, Rudy Giuliani,’’ Mr Trump tweeted while on the way to his northern Virginia golf club. “He may seem a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he is also a great guy and wonderful lawyer.’’
Later on Saturday, he told Jeanine Pirro during a telephone interview broadcast on her Fox News Channel programme that Mr Giuliani continues as his lawyer.
“He’s a great gentleman. He was a great mayor, one of the greatest, maybe the greatest mayor in the history of New York,’’ the president said. “He was a fantastic prosecutor. I know nothing about him being under investigation ... I can’t imagine it.’’
“He’s a man that looks for corruption and whatever he does I really believe he’s a totally, I mean, I know he’s an honourable man,’’ Mr Trump added.
A whistleblower complaint about Mr Trump’s dealings with Ukraine led Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to open an impeachment inquiry into the president.
Three House committees taking depositions in the impeachment probe heard on Friday from Ms Yovanovitch.
The former ambassador has said she was fired from her post in May after insisting that Mr Giuliani’s requests to Ukrainian officials for investigations be relayed through official channels, according to a former diplomat who has spoken with her. The former diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation.