Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called on President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to share information he has with the intelligence community to ensure “it’s not Russian propaganda.”
Giuliani traveled to Ukraine last month and met with former politicians known for spreading Russian conspiracy theories about former Vice President Joe Biden and the debunked theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.
The attorney is reportedly looking to share that information with Republican senators as per the president’s request, two individuals with knowledge of their conversation told The Daily Beast.
The South Carolina senator said he has not been briefed by Giuliani yet on what he learned on his trip.
“My advice to Giuliani would be to share what he got from Ukraine with the IC [intelligence community] to make sure it’s not Russia propaganda,” Graham told The Daily Beast. “I’m very suspicious of what the Russians are up to all over the world.”
Graham had previously requested that Giuliani testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about his theories on Biden getting his son on the board of the energy company Burisma.
The Daily Beast asked Giuliani about Graham’s comments, and the attorney responded, “It’s not Russian propaganda.”
The president’s lawyer has not briefed any Republican Senate leaders on the information, two individuals with knowledge of the Senate leaders’ schedules told The Daily Beast.
Senators are avoiding meeting with Giuliani because of concerns that he will push a Russian-approved narrative, more than half a dozen lawmakers and aides on both sides told the news outlet.
“I wouldn’t trust Rudy to represent me in a parking dispute so I’d say avoid,” a senior GOP Senate aide told The Daily Beast when asked about meeting with Giuliani.
Giuliani became entangled in the president’s impeachment proceedings as his involvement in the White House’s Ukraine policy has come to light. Trump was impeached by the House after a whistleblower report revealed he asked the Ukrainian president to look into Biden and his son.