Rudy’s New Ukraine Jaunt Is Freaking Out Trump’s Lieutenants—and He Doesn’t Care

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Rudy Giuliani’s decision to travel to multiple European countries this week, during the height of an impeachment probe involving his client President Trump, was so startling to senior administration officials and national security brass that they began tracking his movements in an effort to get a read on his objectives abroad.

Other officials in the West Wing and numerous Trump associates learned about his latest foreign adventure, which included a stop in Ukraine, by reading the news. Many of them expressed exasperation at the thought of Giuliani—himself reportedly in the crosshairs of federal investigators—continuing to cause headaches for the White House. Others feared he would cause tangible damage to U.S. foreign policy.

“I do not see why [any] lawyer would see this as serving the best interests of their client,” said a senior White House official. “Especially now.”

The concerns about Giuliani’s trip to Kiev were so pronounced that they reached officials close to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who were advised by Americans and politicians in Ukraine not to meet with Giuliani when he was in town, according to an individual familiar with those conversations.

Giuliani’s trip comes at a time when many in Trump’s circle put blame squarely at his feet for the president’s impending impeachment. But some have not bothered intervening or even reaching out directly to Giuliani about his current travel plans, in part out of concern that he would complain about them to Trump, thus prompting the president’s ire, according to a senior administration official.

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