Nadler: Giuliani trip to Ukraine shows ‘crime in progress’ is being committed against American democracy

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said reports of President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani’s recent trip to Ukraine show a “crime in progress” is happening and reiterate the need for lawmakers to follow through with the impeachment process. 

“This is a crime in progress against the constitution and against the American democracy,” Nadler said on ABC’s “This Week.” 

“We cannot take the risk that the next election will be corrupted through foreign interference solicited by the president, which he is clearly trying to do. It goes to the heart of our democracy.”

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Nadler to respond to reports that Giuliani had been reporting back to the president during a recent trip to Ukraine and that he was trying to gather more information about former Vice President Joe Biden and the company Biden’s son, Hunter, sat on the board of. 

Nadler said the reported actions of Trump and Giuliani are “the heart of what the Constitution meant by high crimes and misdemeanors.” 

“For the president to engage in self-dealing for his own benefit to put himself above the country and to threaten the integrity of our elections, upon which everything else depends. It is a total threat. And we must meet that threat,” Nadler said. 

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who appeared alongside Nadler in the Sunday morning interview, said the reports show “the misconduct hasn’t stopped.” 

“So this misconduct goes on, the threat to our election integrity coming up goes on,” Schiff said.  “It’s a clear and present danger … and not something that we can turn away from simply because the Republicans in the House refuse to do their duty, and [are] continuing to put the person of the president above their personal obligation.”

Giuliani recently traveled to Ukraine and met with former and current officials. Giuliani told The Washington Post that Trump has asked him to brief GOP senators and the Justice Department on his findings. A source told The Wall Street Journal that Giuliani told the president that his Ukraine trip produced “more than you can imagine.” 

Giuliani is a central figure in the impeachment probe. Democrats allege Trump withheld foreign aid to Ukraine while placing pressure on the foreign nation to announce an investigation into Biden, a top-tier presidential candidate. 

The House is expected to vote on articles of impeachment after the House Judiciary Committee approved them in a party-line vote.