Senate Democrat: Giuliani was ‘attempting to speak for the United States government’ in Ukraine interactions

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday that President Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was attempting to act on behalf of the United States when he tried to convince the Ukrainian government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

“Of course, Rudy Giuliani is attempting to speak for the United States government,” Murphy said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“You can understand how the Ukrainians are confused when the personal attorney for the president is coming to them asking them to help destroy one of his political rivals,” he said.

.@ChrisMurphyCT tells @margbrennan “of course Rudy Giuliani is attempting to speak for the United States Government. “ pic.twitter.com/G4VhH9zKdk

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 29, 2019

{mosads}Murphy added that “you can also understand how they might be concerned that if they don’t do the bidding of the president of the United States, there might be consequences.”

“You have Rudy Giuliani going on TV every morning and every night openly admitting that as an agent of the president’s campaign, he has been coordinating with the State Department in order to try to perpetuate the president’s political agenda,” Murphy told CBS’s Margaret Brennan.

“This is not allowable in a democracy and frankly it frightens me that republicans are standing up and defending the president because if he gets away with this, what’s to stop him from essentially integrating the entirety of American foreign policy into his political re-election campaign,” he added.

Murphy also addressed Trump’s suggestion that he will not work with congressional Democrats on any policy items amid the impeachment inquiry, including attempts at gun reforms championed by Murphy and other senators from both parties.

“I’m willing to walk and chew gum at the same time,” Murphy said. “If we don’t get a backgrounds check deal, the only reason it doesn’t get done is because the president is distracted.”