For a year and a half, the Department of Justice has been conducting an investigation into Giuliani, including a 2019 grand jury subpoena on possible money laundering, wire fraud, campaign finance violations and obstruction of justice, among other allegations.
Federal investigators on Wednesday seized cellphones and computers from Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who became President Donald J. Trump’s personal lawyer, stepping up a criminal investigation into Mr. Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine, three people with knowledge of the investigation said.
F.B.I. agents executed search warrants around 6 a.m. at Mr. Giuliani’s apartment on Madison Avenue and his Park Avenue office in Manhattan, carting away the electronic devices, Mr. Giuliani confirmed in a statement.
Although there are few details about the scope of the investigation, some reports -cited by The Hill newspaper on Saturday- suggested that the focus could be on Giuliani’s work on behalf of clients in other countries, including Ukraine, and his lack of registration as a foreign agent while serving as Trump’s personal attorney.
Experts who worked in previous years at the Justice Department said that such a probe into a high-profile attorney, which could jeopardize attorney-client privilege, will most likely require permission from high-ranking law enforcement officials.
Giuliani is not just any attorney, he is a former prosecutor and mayor, a prominent ally of previous US president, so we can be sure that the authorization was at the highest levels, said Harry Litman, a former assistant attorney general under Bill Clinton.
Former President Donald Trump, on the other hand, called the federal investigation into Giuliani unfair and questioned the FBI agents´ objectives, who searched the attorney´s apartment and office.
‘It´s very, very unfair. Rudy is a patriot who loves this country and I don’t know what they are looking for, what they are doing. He loves this country so much,’ Trump said on Thursday on Fox Business.
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