President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani said he’d consider abiding by a subpoena issued by House Democrats.
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), and House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) sent a letter to Giuliani on Sept. 30 informing him of the subpoena.
They asked him to provide evidence regarding such as text messages relating to interaction with the Ukrainian government about two investigations.
Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, said late Monday that he received the subpoena from the Democrat chairmen before accusing them of having “prejudged this case.”
“It raises significant issues concerning legitimacy and constitutional and legal issues including, inter alia, attorney-client, and other privileges. It will be given appropriate consideration,” Giuliani said.
I have received a subpoena signed only by Democrat Chairs who have prejudged this case. It raises significant issues concerning legitimacy and constitutional and legal issues including,inter alia, attorney client and other privileges. It will be given appropriate consideration.
— Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) September 30, 2019
Giuliani has rankled Democrats by appearing frequently on networks and giving interviews to other media outlets.
Trump’s lawyer noted that former Vice President Joe Biden bragged last year that he got a prosecutor in Ukraine fired by threatening to withhold $1 billion in aid in 2016.
That prosecutor said in an affidavit that was recently released that he believes Biden was the force behind his dismissal, noting the president of Ukraine at the time, Petro Poroshenko, came to him and said as much, and also noting Biden’s statement from 2018.
The prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, said he was probing Burisma at the time of his dismissal. Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, sat on the board of Burisma from 2014 to 2019.
“I can’t believe how blind our media has become. They are blindly using the prosecutor who corruptly dismissed the cases against Biden’s son and his corrupt company. There was no investigation. Where’s the report? Use your common sense for those who haven’t lost it. Analyze it,” Guliani wrote on Monday before receiving the subpoena.
“Bribery is offering anything of value ($1.2 billion critical loan guarantee) in exchange for official action (firing the prosecutor, corrupt or not, who is investigating your son). Bragging Biden admits it. And if you need help on whether he knew about son, plenty to come,” he added.
Democrats have also subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He has not responded publicly regarding the subpoena.
Meanwhile, Republican senators asked the Department of Justice about documents offered by the Ukrainian government that conflict with Joe Biden’s statements on the Ukraine situation.
They also requested a response to two previous questions regarding “links and coordination between the Ukrainian government and individuals associated with the campaign of Hillary Clinton or the Democratic National Committee.”
