It was only a matter of time.
During a radio interview with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly on Tuesday, President Donald Trump attempted to distance himself from his personal lawyer’s efforts to dig up dirt on 2020 candidate Joe Biden in Ukraine.
“What was Rudy Giuliani doing in Ukraine on your behalf?” asked O’Reilly.
“Well, you have to ask that to Rudy,” Trump responded. “But Rudy…I don’t even know…I know he was going to go to Ukraine and I think he cancelled the trip.”
“But you know, Rudy has other clients other than me,” he continued. “I’m one person-”
O’Reilly cut him off: “So you didn’t direct him to go there on your behalf?”
“No,” Trump said.
The President’s comments were a blatant effort to pin the scheme to pressure Ukraine into investigating Biden onto Giuliani, who had planned on traveling to Ukraine in May to request the investigation from Kiev before abruptly cancelling the trip.
Though the trip was cancelled, Giuliani facilitated Trump’s use of U.S. foreign policy to withhold military aid to Ukraine and strong-arm Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing an investigation into Biden. According to multiple witnesses in the House impeachment investigation, Trump told relevant diplomats to speak to Giuliani on matters regarding Ukraine.
Additionally, the White House’s own memo of Trump’s infamous call with Zelensky in July shows that Trump not only mentioned that Giuliani was coming to Ukraine, but that he also literally told Zelensky he would have the lawyer “give you a call.”
“If you could speak to him that would be great,” Trump told the Ukrainian president.
Listen to his comments on Tuesday below:
Trump chucks Rudy Giuliani under the bus and tells Bill O'Reilly he didn't tell Giuliani to go to Ukraine on his behalf. pic.twitter.com/1W73ccoewR
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) November 27, 2019
