Rudy Giuliani and former Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) held a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in September of last year as part of a backchannel effort to ease him from power, according to The Washington Post. President Trump’s personal attorney and Sessions spearheaded the endeavor amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela. The call took place soon after Sessions visited Caracas to discuss improving relations. The call is further evidence, the Post reports, of how the former New York mayor has inserted himself into foreign diplomatic efforts, as he faces intense scrutiny by House impeachment investigators over his role in the pressure campaign that aimed to push Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals. One former senior administration official told the Post that White House officials did not know why Giuliani was on the call. Giuliani also quietly met with former National Security Adviser John Bolton around the time of the call to discuss easing Maduro from power. Trump vowed to forcefully oppose Maduro when he took office.