Rudy Giuliani made a surprise appearance at the White House on Wednesday and answered reporters questions on a number of topics although he declined to say what he was doing in Washington.
Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, serves as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney and, at one point, served as the administration’s cyber czar. He was also a figure during the president’s impeachment process as investigators raised questions about the former mayor’s clients in the Ukraine.
In his unexpected appearance on the White House driveway, Giuliani spent about four minutes answering questions from the press were he called the person who leaked the information on Russian bounties a ‘deep state criminal’, said presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden was ‘not all there’ and charged the Black Lives Matters movement with trying to destroy the police.
Rudy Giuliani made a surprise appearance at the White House on Wednesday where he answered questions from reporters on a number of topics but declined to say what he was doing in Washington or who he would meet with
Rudy Giuliani wore a face mask while walking on the White House driveway – something President Trump has been reluctant to be seen wearing in public
In his remarks to the press, Rudy Giuliani slammed Joe Biden as ‘not all there’
Giuliani had harsh words for the sources in The New York Times article that revealed an intelligence report that claimed the Russian government was paying a bounty to Taliban militants for the killing of U.S. service members in Afghanistan.
Giuliani, who made his name in New York City as a federal prosecutor, called the person ‘a deep state criminal’ who committed a crime that was ‘not quite treason but comes close.’
‘It’s a some kind of a felon in the federal government, some kind of a deep state criminal, because he committed a very serious crime,’ Giuliani said. ‘That was actionable intelligence.
‘I mean, I can’t think of a worse crime. It’s not quite treason but comes close,’ he noted. ‘He should be caught and you go to jail for 20 or 30 years. I don’t care what it reveals. And what he revealed is something that is in dispute. And if the New York Times had any integrity they wouldn’t use it.’
He also attacked The New York Times for publishing the story, claiming the newspaper published it so ‘they can hurt Trump with another phony story.’
Giuliani then pivoted to attacking Joe Biden, echoing a Trump attack line against his Democratic rival by questioning his mental abilities.
‘This would be another one in which he demonstrates to us why a cognitively impaired man should not be present to act on this intelligence,’ Giuliani said, arguing against a Biden presidency.
‘Joe Biden, remember, isn’t all there,’ he added. ‘I mean he’s not working with a full deck.’
The Trump campaign has repeatedly raised questions about Biden’s mental abilities and accused him of hiding in his basement. Biden is avoiding campaigning during the coronavirus crisis as many states still have limits on large gatherings.
Trump also has attacked his rival as ‘Sleepy Joe.’
Biden, in a press conference on Tuesday, was asked if he had been tested for cognitive decline.
‘I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I’m running against,’ he replied.
Giuliani also had harsh words for the Black Lives Matters movement after New York City’s famous George Washington Monument in Washington Square Park was defaced with red paint on Monday as protesters gathered further downtown outside City Hall ahead of a controversial vote that slashed the city’s police budget by $1 billion.
He called them a ‘Marxist organization’ out to ‘destroy the police.’
‘Black Lives Matter is a Marxist organization run by three avowed Marxists, go check. Black Lives Matter has been planning to destroy the police for three years. They finally gotten stupid democrat mayors to agree with them. Please remember that all the, all the lawlessness is happening in democratic cities, run by Democrats,’ he said.
Giuliani wore a face mask with an American flag motif as he walked down the White House drive way – something President Trump has been reluctant to do in public.
Rudy Giuliani popped up on the White House driveway on Wednesday where reporters asked him to stop and take questions
Rudy Giuliani called the person who leaked the information on Russian bounties a ‘deep state criminal’ who was almost guilty of treason
Giuliani serves as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney
Giuliani called the Black Lives Matters movement a ‘Marxist’ organization out to destroy the police after the arch at Washington Square Park in New York was targeted by vandals throwing balloons
And before Giuliani took questions from the press, he posed for a photo with Chanel Rion of One American News Network. Rion and Giuliani worked on a special together for the network on the Bidens’ ties to the Ukraine.
Hunter Biden, the former vice president’s youngest son, sat on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company, while his father was vice president. He resigned from that seat after his work became a political hot potato.’
During that time Joe Biden urged the Ukrainian government to fire a prosecutor, which Trump and his allies have charged was done to benefit Burisma. The Bidens have denied this and there has been no evidence of wrong-doing on their part. Joe Biden pointed out it was U.S. and international policy to ask this prosecutor to step down.
But Trump repeatedly attacked Hunter on his work in the Ukraine, using the line ‘Where’s Hunter?’ at his campaign rallies. His use of it had his supporters laughing and applauding.
Trump has used Hunter’s work to accuse Joe Biden of political corruption and argue both Bidens benefited financially from the arrangements – all of which the Biden denied. Neither Biden has been charged with any wrong doing.
Before Rudy Giuliani took questions from the press, he posed for a photo with Chanel Rion of One American News Network (left) and his assistant Christianné Allen (right)
Rudy Giuliani took questions for four minutes from the press before he said: ‘Gotta go’
Rudy Giuliani was tied to the impeachment investigation due to his work in the Ukraine
Giuliani, however, has continued to push the issue. Trump also asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet with Giuliani during the now-infamous phone call that led to the president’s impeachment investigation. The House found charged him with two counts – obstruction of Congress and abuse of power – both of which the president was acquitted on.
Democratic investigators believed Giuliani was trying to help President Trump’s re-election effort by digging up dirt on Biden and the Democratic National Committee in the Ukraine. Giuliani also pushed for former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch to be recalled.
Two of Giuliani’s associates in his work on the Ukraine – Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman – are being investigated by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.
Attorney General William Barr ousted the head prosecutor in that office, Geoffrey Berman, in late June.
But Giuliani touched on none of this in his brief appearance before the cameras on Wednesday, ending his interview with the words: ‘Gotta go.’