Giuliani Says He Won't Testify for House Intel Committee As Long As Schiff Is Around: 'Let Them Hold Me in Contempt'
President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday he would not testify before or provide documents to the House Intelligence Committee until Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff is removed as chairman and a full House vote is taken to authorize an impeachment inquiry.
Giuliani said he “can’t imagine” that anyone from the Trump administration would appear before a panel led by Schiff, according to The Washington Post.
“I wouldn’t testify in front of that committee until there is a vote of Congress and he [Schiff] is removed,” Giuliani said.
“Let them hold me in contempt. We’ll go to court. We’ll challenge the contempt.”
Meanwhile, the former New York City mayor said he is “very interested” in testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
“Graham wants me to lay out in one place, in one time the Ukrainian collusion and the Biden corruption,” Giuliani said. “I appreciate Lindsey offering the opportunity to lay the whole case out.”
Graham tweeted on Tuesday morning, “Unlike the House of Representatives, I’m tired of only hearing one side of the story. It’s now time to give voice to everything Ukraine.
“Let the chips fall where they may!”
Unlike the House of Representatives, I’m tired of only hearing one side of the story.
It’s now time to give voice to everything Ukraine.
Let the chips fall where they may!
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 8, 2019
In a later tweet, Graham took aim at Schiff, likening the House inquiry to a “Star Chamber Inquisition,” referencing an English court established by the king that came to be known for secrecy and a lack of juries. The Star Chamber was abolished by Parliament in 1641.
“The days of ‘Star Chamber Inquisition’ – where everything is behind closed doors in the House of Representatives – should come to an end,” Graham wrote. “The actions of the House are tearing the country apart.”
The days of ‘Star Chamber Inquisition’ – where everything is behind closed doors in the House of Representatives – should come to an end.
The actions of the House are tearing the country apart. https://t.co/UlsYgTsVHF
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 8, 2019
Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York took Schiff to task for a lack of fairness in how he is conducting his inquiry against Trump.
Zeldin told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that he supported the Trump administration’s decision to block Ambassador Gordon Sondland from testifying before Schiff’s committee in light of the chairman’s decision not to release the transcript from Ukraine special envoy Kurt Volker’s testimony last week.
The New York Republican contended that Schiff won’t release the transcript because it completely undermines the narrative that Trump sought to leverage U.S. military aid in exchange for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s opening a corruption investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
Instead of releasing the Volker transcript, House Dems are leaking cherry picked info & keeping the public in the dark on the rest. Why hasn’t @RepAdamSchiff released the full transcript & why aren’t so many in the media demanding it? Because it’s FULL of inconvenient facts! pic.twitter.com/RFVqfaMOgD
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) October 8, 2019
Zeldin, who was in the hearing, said that Volker testified that the topic of Joe Biden did not come up in his meeting with Zelensky the day after Trump’s July 25 call with the Ukrainian leader — or in any communications thereafter.
Zeldin highlighted the facts that Ukraine has launched no investigation into the Bidens and that Trump released the aid in mid-September.
“This whole thing is a fairytale,” he said to reporters. “Adam Schiff is misleading you, and you’re playing along with it. Many of you are and the American public is then getting deceived.”
Trump tweeted on Tuesday, “I would love to send Ambassador Sondland, a really good man and great American, to testify, but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court, where Republican’s rights have been taken away, and true facts are not allowed out for the public [t]o see.”
….to see. Importantly, Ambassador Sondland’s tweet, which few report, stated, “I believe you are incorrect about President Trump’s intentions. The President has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo’s of any kind.” That says it ALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2019
“Importantly, Ambassador Sondland’s tweet, which few report, stated, ‘I believe you are incorrect about President Trump’s intentions. The President has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo’s of any kind.’ That says it ALL!”
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