DOJ names two federal prosecutors to oversee investigation into Ukraine issues

The Justice Department has named two federal prosecutors to oversee investigations into alleged wrongdoings in Ukraine and says Attorney General William Barr has never spoken to Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani about the matter.

In a letter Tuesday to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, the department said Richard Donoghue and Scott Brady, the U.S. attorneys for the Eastern District of New York and Western District of Pennsylvania, respectively, will oversee the “receipt, processing, and preliminary analysis of new information provided by the public that may be relevant to matters relating to Ukraine.” 

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6779178-DOJ-letter-to-Nadler.html

The issue of alleged wrongdoings in Ukraine was at the center of the congressional impeachment trials for President Trump. 

An overwhelming number of congressional Democrats thought Trump -- with help from Giuliani -- had abused Executive Branch powers and obstructed Congress in connection with asking Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into the potential wrongdoings between a Ukrainian gas company and Hunter Biden, son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. 

Trump was impeached in the House but acquitted in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The letter this week from Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd also states that the department typically does not address information pertaining to ongoing cases, but felt it necessary in this case to “clarify the record” – considering the news reports and public comments from members of Congress that have “significantly distorted the public’s understanding of the department’s handling of such cases.” 

The letter also denies that Barr has been in contact with Giuliani to discuss matters relating to Ukraine. 

In early February, Giuliani said that he was aware of several Ukrainian witnesses who were ready to “name names” and subsequently “totally vindicate” President Trump. 

Earlier this month, Chairman Nadler, D-N.Y., said that House Democrats would “likely” continue looking into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. House Democrats hope to subpoena former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify on the matter, despite the president’s acquittal.

Boyd’s letter, in response to a letter from Nadler earlier this month about Ukraine, also states the department will “reject information it finds to be non-credible while continuing to discharge its duty to pursue all meritorious leads and investigations.”