Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) pushed back against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) calling President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine “bribery,” dismissing Pelosi’s claim and doubling down on his support of the president.
“It’s ridiculous, just ridiculous,” Jordan told NPR’s Audie Cornish on Thursday evening.
In reference to Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, Jordan said “The president is allowed to have who he wants involved in diplomatic concerns.”
“Presidents have had Bono do diplomatic missions, they have had all kinds of people,” Jordan noted.
The extent to which Giuliani was involved in diplomatic talks with Ukraine has been a contentious and key issue in the ongoing impeachment hearings. While he is Trump’s personal lawyer, Giuliani isn’t an official employee of the U.S. government.
In Wednesday’s public impeachment hearings, George Kent and William Taylor both expressed concern over Giuliani’s role in diplomatic talks. Taylor stated that the former mayor’s involvement in dictating foreign policy was an “irregular channel.”
Additionally in the interview, Jordan asserted yet again his belief that a quid pro quo never occurred between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“It didn’t happen. That’s the whole point,” Jordan said.
“The aid was released in spite of a justified concern about what happened in 2016 when so many high government officials in Ukraine were against the president and for Hillary Clinton … in spite of the fact that Ukraine’s one of the most corrupt countries on the planet … this president released the aid.”
However, according to NPR, the Pentagon had already reviewed Ukraine’s status and deemed them ready to receive the congressionally approved aid in May.