Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and current lawyer for U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks to members of the media on May 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Rudy Giuliani, 'Wildest of Wild Cards,' Subpoenaed For Trump Impeachment Inquiry
"Giuliani has become a mess, but he's become a mess that has to terrify the folks in the White House."
Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is now personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, was subpoenaed Monday afternoon by the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Reform Committees to provide documents related to his alleged pressuring of the Ukrainian government to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Hunter's five years on the board of Ukrainian oil giant Burisma Holdings has been the focus of attempts by Trump to torpedo Biden's campaign for president.
"A growing public record indicates that the President, his agent Rudy Giuliani, and others appear to have pressed the Ukrainian government to pursue two politically-motivated investigations," the three committee chairs said in a statement. "The committees have reason to believe that you have information and documents relevant to these matters."
Three associates of Giuliani--Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, and Semyon "Sam" Kislin--were also subpoenaed Monday.
A scandal over the Ukrainian dealings, centered on a whistleblower's revelation of a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has already triggered an impeachment inquiry in the House that could take down the Trump administration. News of Giuliani's subpoena on Monday came within minutes of another bombshell about the scandal: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on the July call.
Last week, Giuliani delivered an escalatingly erratic series of interviews to a number of news outlets, leading Esquire writer Charlie Pierce to wonder what the future holds:
There is absolutely no telling what Giuliani might say in front of several congressional committees. Giuliani has become a mess, but he's become a mess that has to terrify the folks in the White House. He's the wildest of wild cards and the loosest cannon on the deck. He's also in the middle of everything regarding the extortionate outreach to the government of Ukraine, and in the middle of every scandal flowing into and out of that banana-pants exercise. He's liable to say anything to anyone. If anyone is frightened down to their socks, it's not Adam Schiff or Elijah Cummings. It's the guy whose fate now depends on an erratic former mayor of New York who didn't do anything, except that he did.
On Sunday, the former mayor told ABC journalist George Stephanopoulos that he "wouldn't cooperate" with committee chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), though Giuliani did allow he might consider it if Schiff stepped down.
Congressional subpoenas are not subject to conditions set by their receivers.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is now personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, was subpoenaed Monday afternoon by the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Reform Committees to provide documents related to his alleged pressuring of the Ukrainian government to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Hunter's five years on the board of Ukrainian oil giant Burisma Holdings has been the focus of attempts by Trump to torpedo Biden's campaign for president.
"A growing public record indicates that the President, his agent Rudy Giuliani, and others appear to have pressed the Ukrainian government to pursue two politically-motivated investigations," the three committee chairs said in a statement. "The committees have reason to believe that you have information and documents relevant to these matters."
Three associates of Giuliani--Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, and Semyon "Sam" Kislin--were also subpoenaed Monday.
A scandal over the Ukrainian dealings, centered on a whistleblower's revelation of a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has already triggered an impeachment inquiry in the House that could take down the Trump administration. News of Giuliani's subpoena on Monday came within minutes of another bombshell about the scandal: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on the July call.
Last week, Giuliani delivered an escalatingly erratic series of interviews to a number of news outlets, leading Esquire writer Charlie Pierce to wonder what the future holds:
There is absolutely no telling what Giuliani might say in front of several congressional committees. Giuliani has become a mess, but he's become a mess that has to terrify the folks in the White House. He's the wildest of wild cards and the loosest cannon on the deck. He's also in the middle of everything regarding the extortionate outreach to the government of Ukraine, and in the middle of every scandal flowing into and out of that banana-pants exercise. He's liable to say anything to anyone. If anyone is frightened down to their socks, it's not Adam Schiff or Elijah Cummings. It's the guy whose fate now depends on an erratic former mayor of New York who didn't do anything, except that he did.
On Sunday, the former mayor told ABC journalist George Stephanopoulos that he "wouldn't cooperate" with committee chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), though Giuliani did allow he might consider it if Schiff stepped down.
Congressional subpoenas are not subject to conditions set by their receivers.
Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is now personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, was subpoenaed Monday afternoon by the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Reform Committees to provide documents related to his alleged pressuring of the Ukrainian government to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Hunter's five years on the board of Ukrainian oil giant Burisma Holdings has been the focus of attempts by Trump to torpedo Biden's campaign for president.
"A growing public record indicates that the President, his agent Rudy Giuliani, and others appear to have pressed the Ukrainian government to pursue two politically-motivated investigations," the three committee chairs said in a statement. "The committees have reason to believe that you have information and documents relevant to these matters."
Three associates of Giuliani--Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, and Semyon "Sam" Kislin--were also subpoenaed Monday.
A scandal over the Ukrainian dealings, centered on a whistleblower's revelation of a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has already triggered an impeachment inquiry in the House that could take down the Trump administration. News of Giuliani's subpoena on Monday came within minutes of another bombshell about the scandal: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on the July call.
Last week, Giuliani delivered an escalatingly erratic series of interviews to a number of news outlets, leading Esquire writer Charlie Pierce to wonder what the future holds:
There is absolutely no telling what Giuliani might say in front of several congressional committees. Giuliani has become a mess, but he's become a mess that has to terrify the folks in the White House. He's the wildest of wild cards and the loosest cannon on the deck. He's also in the middle of everything regarding the extortionate outreach to the government of Ukraine, and in the middle of every scandal flowing into and out of that banana-pants exercise. He's liable to say anything to anyone. If anyone is frightened down to their socks, it's not Adam Schiff or Elijah Cummings. It's the guy whose fate now depends on an erratic former mayor of New York who didn't do anything, except that he did.
On Sunday, the former mayor told ABC journalist George Stephanopoulos that he "wouldn't cooperate" with committee chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), though Giuliani did allow he might consider it if Schiff stepped down.
Congressional subpoenas are not subject to conditions set by their receivers.