Claiming “How the hell would I know?”, the man President Trump looked to for advice on US cybersecurity efforts claimed that his work with a Russian-backed Ukrainian agent was legitimate because the guy didn’t tell him he was a Russian-backed Ukrainian agent, according to a New York Times report.

On the day that the Treasury Department issued sanctions against Rudy Giuliani associate Andriy Derkach for actively interfering in US elections, Giuliani claimed his ignorance of Derkach’s background is sufficient enough to justify working with him to undermine the election.

Giuliani said in an interview with the Times Thursday night that he “felt comfortable” meeting with Derkach “because there were no sanctions against him” at the time. While he acknowledged that he “didn’t do much investigation” of Derkach, Giuliani said: “I have no reason to believe he is a Russian agent. There is nothing I saw that said he was a Russian agent. There is nothing he gave me that seemed to come from Russia at all.” But he added, “How the hell would I know?”

Giuliani often touts his national security prowess, based primarily on the fact that he was mayor of New York City during the 9/11 attacks that killed 2,900 civilians in Manhattan.  Prior to his inauguration, Trump appointed Giuliani as his advisor on cybersecurity issues.

Derkach, a member of Ukraine’s Parliament, has been funneling information to Giuliani as part of the Trump campaign’s effort to smear Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.  The US government has determined Derkach has released altered audiotapes to slander Biden, and he’s sent information to republican members of Congress to encourage them to open investigations into Biden and his family.