Rudy Giuliani Joins Trump Legal Team, Aims To End Mueller Investigation
President Donald Trump called on the services of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in his hour of need. The president’s hope is to quickly resolve his personal issues so that he does not face an interview with special counselor Robert Mueller III.
Giuliani joins Trump attornies, Jay Sekulow and Ty Cobb, according to an NBC report. Last month the Trump legal team lost John Dowd and planned to add Joseph diGenova and Victoria Toensing. However, both diGenova and Toensing ended up having conflicts of interest and were unable to come aboard the president’s personal representation as they handle the ongoing Russia probe.
Longtime friends, Giuliani often stood in for Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, and perhaps his endorsement helped win Trump some votes among some groups of voters.
Of interest, at one time Giuliani ran the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s office, which is the office that recently raided the office of Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Former Giuliani law partner Geoffrey Berman, who currently serves as the interim U.S. Attorney in that office, stands recused from the Cohen case possibly due to a conflict of interest or question of impartiality, NBC New York reports.
The team believes Giuliani’s role will be limited and brief if things go the way they plan for them to go. In fact, they think their new addition could help wrap things up in as few as two weeks.
As for the former NYC mayor, he told CNN, Mueller “needs a little push” to go ahead and wrap things up with the Russia probe. He brings a fresh perspective to the table, which perhaps changes things, or maybe not.
It seems we have a winner in the Trump legal defense team sweepstakes: Rudy Giuliani come on down. The soap opera takes another bizarre and surreal twist. I am only surprised now by my contnual inability ot be surprised any more. https://t.co/KuCBtUCb0H
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) April 19, 2018
Mueller’s investigation focuses on Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, and Trump denies conspiring with the Russians. Apparently, Giuliani and Mueller have known each other for years. Not only did they work together at the Justice Department, but Mueller also served as the FBI director while Giuliani served as mayor of New York City.
The former mayor’s law firm, Greenberg Traurig, distanced itself from him, and he took leave for an unspecified amount of time. Greenberg Traurig made a clear statement that Giuliani’s representation of the president was not through the law firm.
Other lawyers joining the president’s personal defense team include Jane Serene Raskin and Marty Raskin.
Earlier today journalist Dan Rather tweeted about the “soap opera” of Trump’s defense.
