Politics

‘I Don’t Know’ – Trump Dodges Questions About Giuliani’s Alleged ‘Insurance,’ Work On Ukraine

(Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images)

Christian Datoc Senior White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump told reporters Monday in the Oval Office he doesn’t “know” what Rudy Giuliani is talking about when claiming to have “insurance” if the president turns on him.

Following testimony from several impeachment witnesses that he sought a quid pro quo on Trump’s behalf in Ukraine, Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, has repeatedly claimed to have an “insurance policy, if thrown under by the bus,” by the administration. He did tweet Saturday night that the comment was “sarcastic & relates to the files in [his] safe about the Biden Family’s 4 decade monetizing of his office.” (RELATED: Do You Think Rudy Giuliani Will End Up In Jail?)

Rudy Giuliani, Former Mayor of New York City speaks to the Organization of Iranian American Communities during their march to urge "recognition of the Iranian people's right for regime change," outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 24, 2019. - They urged recognition of the Iranian people's right for regime change and declared their support for the leader of democratic opposition, Maryam Rajavi. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images)

(Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images)

Despite Giuliani’s cryptic jokes, and statements from Dr. Fiona Hill and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, Trump defended the former New York City mayor in a Fox & Friends interview on Friday morning, which he reiterated during his Monday media availability with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

“Rudy is the best mayor in the history of New York, in my opinion, the strongest mayor, the best mayor,” Trump stated. “Rudy is a great crime fighter, corruption fighter. Probably the best in 50 years when he was here and also when he was at the U.S. Attorney and southern district.”

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 25: U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump return to the Oval Office after posing for photographs with Conan, the U.S. military K9 that assisted in the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, on the Rose Garden colonnade at the White House November 25, 2019 in Washington, DC. Trump talked about how the dog was a hero and said he presented the animal with a medal and a plaque. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump added that he doesn’t think “the press isn’t treating Rudy very well and I think that’s unfair, but Rudy was a great mayor and a great crime fighter.”

POTUS declined to answer a question on whether Giuliani acted on his behalf while dangling a potential White House meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in exchange for Ukraine announcing the opening of investigations into Burisma and the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Giuliani is reportedly the subject of a federal investigation for campaign finance violations and failing to register as a foreign agent. (RELATED: Giuliani Targeted In Federal Investigation)

The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office has issued several subpoenas to witnesses seeking records on Giuliani’s work in Ukraine and business records involving Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two of Giuliani’s foreign-born business associates who were indicted earlier this year on campaign finance charges.