President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday that he will refuse to cooperate with the House Democrats conducting a formal impeachment investigation into the president’s conduct.Giuliani said his testimony before the House Intelligence Committee would be contingent on the removal of its chairman, Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), whom Trump has accused of running a “kangaroo court.”“I wouldn’t testify in front of that committee until there is a vote of Congress and he [Schiff] is removed,” Giuliani told the Washington Post. “The position I’m stating is now the position of the administration.”The former New York City mayor added that he “can’t imagine” any other member of the Trump administration testifying before Schiff’s committee.Earlier on Tuesday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham invited Giuliani to appear before his committee, a possibility Giuliani said he would entertain.Graham said he has heard “disturbing allegations by Rudy Giuliani about corruption in Ukraine” and would like to hear Giuliani elaborate on those concerns. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would welcome testimony from such a major player in the controversy surrounding Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.“We welcome Mr. Giuliani testifying,” Schumer wrote in a tweet. “Given the apparent depth of his involvement in the president’s effort to convince foreign governments to investigate a political rival, he must testify under oath.”Giuliani’s remarks come after the Trump administration said it would block Gordon Sondland, the U. S. ambassador to the European Union and a key witness in the impeachment probe, from giving testimony to investigators for three House committees.“By preventing us from hearing from this witness and obtaining these documents, the president and secretary of state are taking actions that prevent us from getting the facts needed to protect the nation’s security,” Schiff said of the administration’s decision.
