Giuliani urges Ukraine to investigate Democrats

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Democrats on Friday denounced a plan by President Donald Trump’s personal attorney to push Ukraine to open investigations that he hopes could benefit Trump politically, decrying it as an overt attempt to recruit foreign help to influence a U.S. election.

Rudy Giuliani said he would travel to Kiev in the coming days to urge the Ukrainian government to conduct a pair of investigations: one on the origins of special counsel Robert Mueller’s recently concluded investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the other on the involvement of former Vice President Joe Biden’s son in a gas company owned by a Ukrainian oligarch.

Giuliani’s plan seemed poised to create an unprecedented moment, that of the lawyer of the president of the United States seeking foreign assistance in damaging his political rivals. To Democrats, it was a blatant evocation of Russia’s meddling on behalf of Trump when he defeated Hillary Clinton.

“It’s stunning that the Trump administration is going down the same tragic path they did in 2016 seeking help from a foreign government again to influence an American presidential election. It’s appalling,” said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who chairs the House intelligence committee. He said Trump allies were indicating, “‘We’re going to do everything short of what’s downright criminal. Ethics don’t matter. Patriotism doesn’t matter.’”

Giuliani, a former New York City mayor who often acted as a smokescreen for Trump during the Mueller probe, pushed back against the criticism.

“Explain to me why Biden shouldn’t be investigated if his son got millions from a Russian loving crooked Ukrainian oligarch while He was VP and point man for Ukraine,” Giuliani tweeted at Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who criticized him.