Federal prosecutors mulled request for Giuliani electronic communications: report

The president’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, is at the center of a “very active” investigation headed by the Justice Department’s Southern District of New York (SDNY), according to a report by NBC News. 

Two sources familiar with the ongoing probe told NBC News that prosecutors at the SDNY have requested permission from their D.C.-based counterparts to file a request with a judge for Giuliani’s email history, including emails that may be protected by attorney-client privilege.

Giuliani, who has served as President Trump’s personal lawyer for months, reportedly fell under investigation due to his dealings in Ukraine related to his efforts to dig up compromising information about President-elect Joe Biden prior to the latter’s election victory; Giuliani has spent the days since the election wrapped up in Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.

The former New York City mayor’s attorney told NBC News that he had “no reason to believe there’s any truth to the allegations that there is renewed interest in my client.”

Two officials familiar with the investigation contended to NBC, however, that the probe was “very active” and continued to center around Giuliani.

Giuliani in a tweet sent after the NBC News report was published said there was “no reason” to seize his emails. 

“Sounds like the DOJ anti-Trumpers can’t wait for Biden to make DOJ the GOVERNMENT Secret Police like they were under Obama,” he said.

The Justice Department (DOJ) fell under scrutiny during the 2016 election when then-FBI director James Comey announced that he was reopening an investigation into Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, just weeks before Election Day. Clinton would go on to lose the presidency by a slim margin in several key swing states, an outcome her allies have blamed on Comey and the FBI. 

A former SDNY official told Bloomberg last year that she would not be surprised if the former mayor faced federal charges related to his work in Ukraine.

“I would not be surprised if he gets indicted,” said Mimi Rocah, a former prosecutor with the SDNY. “It’s clear Giuliani is up to his ears in shady stuff and there’s tons of smoke.”

–Updated at 11:37 a.m.