Giuliani: "It is impossible that the whistleblower is a hero and I’m not"
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In a series of interviews Thursday, Rudy Giuliani responded to the release of the full Trump-Ukraine whistleblower complaint, arguing his actions should be "praised" and that "when this is over, [he] will be the hero."
The big picture: The full complaint details Giuliani's involvement in pressuring the Ukrainian government to investigate Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, over unsubstantiated corruption allegations. Details show that Giuliani traveled to Madrid to meet with one of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's advisers and has been in contact with a number of other Ukrainian officials regarding the matter.
- The report also alleges that Giuliani met twice with Ukraine's then-Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, who's made direct corruption accusations against U.S. officials, including Joe Biden.
- The complaint notes that multiple U.S. officials told the whistleblower they were "deeply concerned by what they viewed as Mr. Giuliani's circumvention of national security decision-making processes."
What they're saying: In an interview with CNN shortly after the complaint's release, Giuliani said he has "no knowledge of any of that crap."
- "I should be as sympathetic as a whistleblower. I did my job and now all these people are torturing me," Giuliani said.
In another interview with The Atlantic, Giuliani said: "It is impossible that the whistle-blower is a hero and I’m not. And I will be the hero! These morons—when this is over, I will be the hero."
- “I’m not acting as a lawyer. I’m acting as someone who has devoted most of his life to straightening out government,” Giuliani added. "Anything I did should be praised."
Giuliani also doubled down on his claim that allegations against the Bidens are true, adding that the reason his involvement in the complaint is taking precedent in the news is because "the press idolizes Joe Biden and despises Donald Trump."
- Lutsenko, the prosecutor who initially floated allegations of corruption against Biden and his son, told the Washington Post on Thursday that he did not believe Hunter Biden violated any laws.
Go deeper: Read the full Trump-Ukraine whistleblower complaint