Rudy Giuliani was barely back stateside from Kiev when he says he got a call from Donald Trump.

“What did you get?” the president asked, Giuliani told the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

“More than you can imagine,” the lawyer said he replied.

That Giuliani has continued his Ukraine misadventures, despite the fact that his efforts to drum up investigations into Joe Biden have led to the almost-certain impeachment of his client, isn’t necessarily a revelation; he’s made no secret of his ongoing work in Kiev, in defiance of common sense and the warnings of friends. What’s striking is Trump’s apparent involvement in his lawyer’s schemes, even though allies like William Barr and others have reportedly warned him that Giuliani poses a “liability.”

On one hand, it makes sense for Trump to keep tabs on Rudy at this stage in the game; Giuliani traveled to Kiev with the express purpose of gathering “evidence to defend my client against the false charges being leveled against him,” and theoretically to film a documentary about same. Trump, then, would want to know whether Giuliani dug up anything that could be used in his defense. On the other hand, the entire impeachment push against Trump is the result of his apparent coordination with Giuliani in the latter’s efforts to get the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden. In continuing that pattern of behavior, Trump, if anything, is strengthening Democrats’ case against him by involving himself so closely in Rudy’s operations.

This was enough to concern Trump’s loyal attorney general, William Barr, who reportedly warned Trump that “he was not being well-served by his lawyer.” But the warning apparently fell on deaf ears. Indeed, Giuliani told the Journal that his recent trip to Ukraine was part of a “secret assignment” to help the president. “Just having fun while Dems and friends try to destroy my brilliant career,” the attorney told the paper in a text. Trump may have good reason to be cocky; while Giuliani, who is currently under criminal investigation, may be flying too close to the sun, his own impeachment headaches will almost certainly end when the proceedings move to the Republican-held Senate. If anything, Trump’s ongoing involvement in Giuliani’s Ukraine efforts underscores the futility of Democrats’ impeachment vote against him. They’ve framed their inquiry as an attempt to hold Trump accountable, lest he continue to cross the line unchecked. In doubling down on their conduct, Trump and Giuliani are suggesting they’re undeterred.

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