Prosecutors investigating whether Ukraine meddled in 2020 election in favor of Trump

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, are investigating whether former and current Ukraine officials meddled in the 2020 presidential election.

Part of the investigation is to learn whether the Ukrainians attempted to used former President Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani to spread claims that President Biden was corrupt  – to tilt the election in favor of Trump, The New York Times reported Thursday.

The investigation centers on a trip Giuliani made to Ukraine in December 2019. There he met with a member of the Ukrainian parliament Andriy Derkach, who is the focus of the investigation, according to the newspaper.

Giuliani has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied working with the Ukrainians. This investigation is also separate from another ongoing investigation into Giuliani. 

Giuliani also allegedly met with a former member of parliament, Andrii V. Artemenko, and a government official Andrii Telizhenko. 

Federal officials allege Derkach also contacting other Americans, in addition on Biden, as part of the plan. 

Treasury Department officials claimed Derkach "leveraged U.S. media, U.S.-based social media platforms, and influential U.S. persons to spread misleading and unsubstantiated allegations."