On Thursday, former US President Donald Trump denounced the federal investigation into his ex-attorney Rudy Giuliani, saying he wasn’t aware of the purpose of the search of the former NYC mayor’s Manhattan apartment and office by federal agents.
According to Reuters, federal prosecutors have been looking into Giuliani’s business and other dealings for one and a half years, including a 2019 grand jury subpoena for his financial records as part of an investigation into potential money laundering, wire fraud, campaign finance violations and obstruction of justice.
The search of Giuliani’s home and office were part of an investigation into his business dealings in Ukraine while acting as Trump’s lawyer, though he has not been formally accused of breaking any laws, Reuters reported.
Speaking to Fox Business Network, Trump came to Giuliani’s defense. Giuliani worked for Trump in 2018 during a federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and again during the 2020 election and aftermath.
"It’s very, very unfair," Trump said. "Rudy is a patriot who loves this country and I don’t know what they’re looking for, what they’re doing. They said it had to do with filing of various papers. Rudy loves this country so much."
Giuliani’s lawyer Bob Costello, in a statement released Wednesday, called the investigation of Giuliani politically motivated. The search warrant was partially based on an allegation that Giuliani broke lobbying laws when he did not register as a foreign agent, a charge he denies.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki shot back, telling CNN that the “DOJ is independent now.”