White House knew of Giuliani's 'shadow Ukraine policy' earlier than previously thought: report

According to a new report from NBC News, the White House knew as early as May about the campaign by President Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to apply pressure on the Ukrainian President.

The National Security Council was reportedly alarmed to hear that top White House Europe official, Fiona Hill, had learned of Giuliani's efforts to "shake up" the leadership at a Ukrainian state-owned energy company. After learning about the involvement of Giuliani "henchmen" Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who also helped in Giuliani's efforts to pressure Ukraine's President to dig up dirt on the Bidens, Hills informed then-National Security Adviser John Bolton about what she'd learned.

As NBC News points out, the revelation shows that the White House officials knew earlier than previously thought that the pressure campaign against Ukraine applied by Trump's allies was underway -- even before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was sworn into office.

Hill was also told in May about EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland's "unsolicited advice" to Zelenskiy about potential hires in high-level positions within his new administration -- advice that Ukrainian officials deemed to be "inappropriate."

As a result of her findings, Hill reportedly concluded that Giuliani and Sondland were running a "shadow Ukraine policy."

Read NBC's full report here.

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