Giuliani to Report on Ukraine Trip     12/11 06:26

   NEW YORK (AP) -- Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, 
said Tuesday that the president asked him to brief the Justice Department and 
Republican senators on the findings of his recent trip to Ukraine.

   Giuliani indicated he would aim to do so by week's end but did not provide 
details. He would not discuss the contents of his findings. 

   Giuliani's trip last week prompted concern from many White House officials, 
some of whom blame the lawyer for ensnaring Trump in the Ukraine affair that 
has led to articles of impeachment.

   As special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation wound down earlier 
this year, Giuliani began pushing the belief --- one previously only held on 
the fringes of the conservative movement --- that Ukraine may have also 
attempted to interfere in the 2016 election. There is no evidence that happened.

   The former New York City mayor also wanted to bring attention to the work 
that former Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter did in Ukraine and urged 
Trump to demand Kiev investigate his possible political foe. That pressure was 
at the heart of the articles of impeachment introduced in the House of 
Representatives on Tuesday.

   Even as impeachment swirled, Giuliani stunned Washington by traveling to 
Ukraine this month to further his probe. The surprise journey drew condemnation 
from Democrats and some scorn from Republicans and White House aides, many of 
whom believed the sojourn to Kiev drew unwanted scrutiny ahead of the 
impeachment vote. Trump, though, appeared to praise the trip when talking to 
reporters in recent days.

   "He says he has a lot of good information," Trump said Saturday. "I hear he 
has found plenty."

   But the venue for Giuliani's debriefing is uncertain. Sen. Lindsey Graham, 
R-S.C., a staunch Trump ally, has said he had no plans for Giuliani to appear 
before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has launched an inquiry into Joe 
Biden and his communications with Ukrainian officials.

   Meanwhile, Giuliani has alienated many in Trump's orbit, including Attorney 
General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both of whom have told 
West Wing aides that the attention-seeking former mayor had become a liability 
to Trump.

   But while Trump has at times grown frustrated with Giuliani's faux pas, he 
has told people close to him that he appreciates the former mayor's willingness 
to defend him on television and his aggressive pursuit of corruption. He has 
also repeatedly told reporters that the former prosecutor was the nation's 
greatest crime fighter.

   Giuliani returned Saturday from a trip that took him to Ukraine, Hungary and 
Austria, where he said he was looking for documents and witnesses to support 
unproven claims he has made about Hunter Biden and Ukraine's role in the 2016 
election.

   He was accompanied by correspondents from the conservative One America News 
Network, which is producing a documentary about his work.

   Giuliani outlined the details of his trip hours after House Democrats 
announced two articles of impeachment against Trump, declaring his actions 
toward Ukraine "betrayed the nation" as they pushed toward historic proceedings 
that are certain to help define his presidency and shape the 2020 election.

   The specific charges aimed at removing the 45th president of the U.S.: abuse 
of power and obstruction of Congress.

   Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flanked by the chairmen of impeachment inquiry 
committees at the U.S. Capitol, said they were upholding their solemn oath to 
defend the Constitution. Trump responded angrily on Twitter: "WITCH HUNT!"


(KR)