Ukraine’s president says he never spoke to Giuliani

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that he has never personally spoken with Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney who has pushed for Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

“I have never met Rudy Giuliani. Never. And never had any phone calls with him,” Zelensky told reporters in Kiev while speaking in English, Bloomberg reports.

Zelensky also reiterated that he was not under pressure from Trump to investigate Biden following a call between the two leaders in late July, according to Bloomberg. 

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky: “I’ve never met Rudy Giuliani. Never. And never had any phone calls with him.” pic.twitter.com/0pA90dUokF

— The Hill (@thehill) October 1, 2019

A partial memo of the July 25 discussion released by the White House last week shows Trump asking Zelensky to investigate Biden, a top political rival who is a leading candidate in the Democratic presidential race.{mosads}

“I want to tell you that I never feel any pressure and there are very many people in the west and in Ukraine who would like to influence me,” Zelensky said Tuesday, according to Bloomberg. “But I am a president of independent Ukraine and I think that, and I hope my steps demonstrate this, that it is impossible to influence me.”

A declassified whistleblower complaint released last week alleges that Trump pressured Zelensky to “meet or speak with” Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr. The whistleblower complaint cited details from Trump’s call with Zelensky in July.

House Democrats have seized on Trump’s call and his attorney’s push for Ukraine to investigate Biden, saying the move amounts to soliciting foreign help to interfere in the 2020 election and arguing that it bolsters their case for impeachment.

The House launched a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump last week amid the whistleblower’s allegations against Trump and reports that White House officials pushed for a transcript of the call to be put on a highly classified server.

House Democrats subpoenaed Giuliani on Monday related to the administration’s interactions with Ukraine. 

Giuliani wouldn’t say if he would comply with the subpoena. 

The subpoena, which was signed by Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), demanded Giuliani respond by Oct. 15.

The chairmen warned that failure or refusal to comply with the subpoena “shall constitute evidence of obstruction of the House’s impeachment inquiry.”