WASHINGTON _ Attorney General William Barr acknowledged for the first time Monday that President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has been giving the Justice Department information he collected in Ukraine, essentially bringing what was a stealth campaign into official government channels.
Barr said, however, that information coming from Ukraine must be carefully vetted to ensure it is accurate and authentic.
"The DOJ has the obligation to have an open door to anybody who wishes to provide us information that they think is relevant," Barr told reporters during a news conference in Washington. "We have to be very careful with respect to any information coming from Ukraine. There are a lot of agendas in the Ukraine, there are a lot of cross-currents and we can't take anything we receive from the Ukraine at face value."
Barr didn't specify what kind of information Giuliani has been providing. Trump's personal lawyer has previously said he has been collecting information about the activities of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in Ukraine. Giuliani's efforts became a central factor in Trump's impeachment for pressuring the Ukrainian government to announce investigations into the Bidens to help his re-election.
The president was acquitted by the Senate last week.
On Sunday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that he spoke that morning to Barr and "he told me that they've created a process, that Rudy could give information and they would see if it's verified."
