6:09 p.m. ET, December 4, 2019
News about Rudy Giuliani broke during this hearing. Here's what you need to know.
From CNN's Dana Bash, Michael Warren and Devan Cole
Drew Angerer/Getty Images/FILE
While the House Judiciary Committee holds its first impeachment inquiry hearing, news broke that President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani traveled to Ukraine and Hungary this week to meet with
several former Ukrainian prosecutors.
The trip was an effort effort to defend President Trump against House Democrats' impeachment inquiry,
The New York Times reported today.
The Times, citing conversations with people familiar with the matter, said
the President's personal attorney went to Budapest, Hungary, yesterday to meet with former Ukrainian prosecutor
Yuriy Lutsenko, before going to Kyiv, Ukraine, today to meet with a number of other former prosecutors in the country, including Viktor Shokin and Kostiantyn H. Kulyk.
What Giuliani is saying: CNN asked Giuliani about the New York Times story.
He avoided answering the question and instead commented on
the Democratic impeachment report, which shows logs of calls between himself and budget office.
“[I] don’t remember calling OMB and not about military aid never knew anything about it,” he texted.
He added: “I’m not the fall guy. I have all the evidence any fair prosecutor would need to show a major Pay for Play In Obama administration. Let’s see if we are still a nation of laws."
Giuliani wouldn't confirm he is in Ukraine and said he can’t discuss what he is doing but will soon.
Earlier today, Giuliani’s spokeswoman, Christianné Allen, gave CNN this statement:
“What Mr. Giuliani is doing at this point is still confidential and is for the sole purpose of proving his clients innocence. In doing so he will prove that this latest farce is even more baseless and malicious than the first attempted coup takedown. Once all individuals have returned safely to the United States, we will reveal the significant witnesses involved."