Former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been questioned by federal investigators as part of the special counsel’s probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, multiple sources familiar with the law tell CNN. meeting.
The meeting between Giuliani, his lawyer Robert Costello and the investigators took place in recent weeks. Sources declined to say what the investigators’ questions focused on during the meeting, which has not previously been reported.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has not announced any charges stemming from his investigation into efforts to block certification of the 2020 presidential election, but prosecutors appear to be close to making charging decisions, said sources familiar with the matter.
The interview with Giuliani comes amid a flurry of activity in the investigation, which examines a plan by Trump and his allies to portray fake voters as well as potential financial crimes related to post-election fundraising . Investigators have called a steady stream of witnesses before a federal grand jury in recent weeks and have urged attorneys to quickly bring in other witnesses for interviews, sources told CNN.
Sources say some of the grand jury questioning focused on the actions of top lawyers around Trump, including Giuliani, as investigators seek information on their baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.
Ted Goodman, a political adviser to Giuliani, told CNN that “the appearance was completely voluntary and professionally conducted.”
A spokesperson for the office of special counsel declined to comment to CNN.
The Special Counsel’s office has long been interested in several members of Trump’s post-election legal team, including Giuliani, Sidney Powell and John Eastman, as well as former Justice Department appointee Jeffrey Clark. , who tried to help Trump use the department to nullify the election.
Multiple rounds of federal subpoenas have sought disclosures from more than a dozen attorneys — including Giuliani, Powell, Eastman and Clark — due to some attorneys’ central role in Trump’s post-election response.
At least some of the lawyers’ phones were seized by the FBI last year. The Justice Department screened privileged communications from Eastman and Clark and others to turn over lawyers’ records to investigators, under now public court proceedings.
Trump’s White House attorney and Vice President’s then-chief counsel Mike Pence were also compelled to testify despite their claims of attorney-client privilege.
CNN previously reported that Giuliani was subpoenaed late last year to turn over files to a federal grand jury as part of an investigation into the former president’s fundraising after the 2020 election. .
The subpoena sought documents from Giuliani about payments he received around the 2020 election, when Giuliani filed numerous lawsuits on Trump’s behalf challenging the election results, a source told CNN.
Additionally, Giuliani played a key role in overseeing the fake voter plot in seven battleground states, as part of an effort to block certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.
CNN’s Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.
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