Rudy Giuliani interviewed by special counsel in Trump election interference probe
The Justice Department's special counsel investigators interviewed Rudy Giuliani recently as part of their probe into alleged efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, a spokesperson for Giuliani confirmed Tuesday.
"The appearance was entirely voluntary and conducted in a professional manner," said the spokesperson, Ted Goodman, who is a political advisor to Giuliani.
A source familiar with the matter said Giuliani was questioned about fundraising and meetings that took place between Nov. 3, 2020, and Jan. 6, 2021, when President-elect Biden's electoral college victory was certified despite a deadly riot at the Capitol.
CNN first reported that investigators for special counsel Jack Smith interviewed Giuliani, who was former President Donald Trump's personal attorney for much of Trump's time in office — and was among a group of attorneys who falsely alleged Trump had won the 2020 election.
Investigators were particularly interested in meetings Giuliani attended at the White House, the source said.
Giuliani was asked about his interactions with other attorneys who vocally supported returning Trump to office despite his defeat, according to the source. They included John Eastman, who crafted a legal strategy to reject state electoral votes, Sydney Powell, who claimed widespread voter fraud prevented Trump from winning, and Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official which a congressional committee concluded had crafted a plan to instruct state legislatures to select new electors.
The special counsel did not indicate that Giuliani is a subject of the investigation, and his team does not believe he is, according to the source.
The special counsel's investigation into election interference appears to have gained steam in the weeks since Trump was indicted in relation to its separate probe into alleged mishandling of documents. On June 13, Trump entered a not guilty plea to 37 felony charges in that case.
On Wednesday, the special counsel will interview Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in Atlanta, according to a spokesperson for Raffensperger.
A Jan. 2, 2021, recorded phone call between Trump and Raffensperger, in which Trump said "I just want to find 11,780 votes" has been a focus of both federal and state investigations.
In the weeks after audio of the call became public in 2021, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced that her office intended to investigate. That inquiry has since grown into a sprawling probe involving dozens of Trump's allies, according to court filings.
Willis has said she will likely announce charging decisions related to the investigation in August.
Trump became the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges when he was indicted on March 30 by a New York state grand jury. In that case, he entered a not guilty plea to 34 felony counts related to alleged falsification of business records. Manhattan prosecutors said Trump tried to obscure reimbursements to Michael Cohen, who at the time was Trump's personal attorney, for a "hush money" payment made to an adult film star before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump's attorneys in that case are trying to have it moved to federal court, but at a hearing on Tuesday, a judge appeared skeptical of their argument that the payments were made as official acts tied to Trump's presidency.
- In:
- Rudy Giuliani
- Donald Trump
- United States Department of Justice
- 2016 Election
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] or [email protected]
