Giuliani cancels trip to Ukraine, denounces ‘enemies’ of the USA in Kiev


Giuliani said he believes that the incoming president is being advised, in particular, by Serhiy Leshchenko, an opposition parliament member who helped uncover the off-the-books payments made to Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. "So I've decided I'm not going to go because I'm walking into a group of people that are enemies of the president". Now, President Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani have announced their intention to collude with another foreign power ahead of the 2020 election. Biden called for the removal of the top Ukrainian prosecutor, who at one point had been investigating a Ukrainian natural gas company connected to Biden's son, Hunter.

Giuliani did not reveal the names of the people with whom he had planned to meet.

The trip raised the specter of a lawyer for Mr. Trump pressing a foreign government to pursue investigations that his allies hope could help him win re-election.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks to reporters at Trump Tower, January 12, 2017 in New York City. But it "certainly it would be an appropriate thing to" discuss with him, Trump said.

"The reality is I came about this by accident investigating Ukrainian collusion with Democrats to affect the election and also to create a false narrative against the president", he added.

Mr. Giuliani's planned trip, which has not been previously reported, is part of a monthslong effort by the former NY mayor and a small group of Trump allies working to build interest in the Ukrainian inquiries.

"I concluded that the President elect is being advised by people who were very vocal opponents of President Trump and peculiarly vocal supporters of Hillary Clinton", the statement read. President-elect Trump continues to hold meetings Trump Tower.

President Donald Trump said Friday he thinks it would be "appropriate" for him to talk to Attorney General William Barr about opening an investigation into Joe Biden, the current front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Leshchenko, however, said Ukraine's prosecutor general, Yuriy Lutsenko, had misled Giuliani.


Anticipating criticism that he was encouraging foreign interference in a US presidential campaign, Giuliani told the Times, "There's nothing illegal about it", Giuliani said.

"Somebody could say it's improper", he said. He had told the publication he planned to ask Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to look into the origins of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russian Federation investigation, as well as former Vice President Joe Biden's son's past connections to the country.

In the Fox News interview, Giuliani said he won't go to Ukraine, "in order to remove any political suggestion".
