Rudy Giuliani denies charges against him in the whistleblower complaint which alleged multiple U.S. officials were “deeply concerned” about his communication with Ukrainian officials.
Giuliani told CNN Thursday he has “no knowledge of any of that crap.”
The personal attorney to President Trump also told the outlet the whistleblower’s claims are “total nonsense.”
The complaint, released Thursday, alleges two State Department officials spoke to Giuliani “in an attempt to ‘contain the damage’ to U.S. national security” over his communication with Ukraine.{mosads}
“At no time did either one of them say they wanted to contain damage,” Giuliani told CNN. “At no time did the State Department in communication with me ever relay any of that information you’re talking about.”
Giuliani told CNN he shared details of his conversations with Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak with the State Department.
“I don’t think they’d thank me if I was interfering in foreign relations,” Giuliani told CNN. “And I don’t think they’d call me and put me together with Yermak, which they indisputably did, even admitted it, if they weren’t happy with what I did. But I can’t imagine why they’d be unhappy. I told them everything that I did. There’s nothing I did that they don’t know.”
Last month the State Department in a statement said Giuliani is a “private citizen and acts in a personal capacity as a lawyer for President Trump. He does not speak on behalf of the U.S. Government,” CNN noted.
Giuliani said he met with Yermak in Madrid on Aug. 1, but told CNN he was unaware that the meeting was intended to be a “direct follow-up” to Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as the whistleblower claims.
The complaint alleges Trump pushed Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 candidate, and that White House officials intervened to “lock down” records of a call between the two presidents.
Amid allegations emerging from the complaint, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday the House would launch a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump.