Giuliani backs out of scheduled Friday interview with Jan. 6 panel

Rudy Giuliani has canceled an interview with the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol that was scheduled for Friday after the panel rejected his demand that he be able to record it.

“Mr. Giuliani had agreed to participate in a transcribed interview with the Select Committee,” said committee spokesperson Tim Mulvey in a statement obtained by The Hill. “Today, he informed committee investigators that he wouldn’t show up unless he was permitted to record the interview, which was never an agreed-upon condition.

“Mr. Giuliani is an important witness to the conspiracy to overthrow the government and he remains under subpoena,” Mulvey continued. “If he refuses to comply the committee will consider all enforcement options.”

Giuliani’s personal attorney Robert Costello confirmed to The Hill that they had canceled the interview, which would have been held virtually, after the request to record was denied. Costello confirmed that the two sides were still in talks.

Giuliani, who previously served as former President Trump’s personal attorney, was subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 committee in January along with three other campaign attorneys linked with efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

“The Select Committee is looking into the causes that contributed to the violence on January 6th, including attempts to promote unsupported claims of election fraud and pressure campaigns to overturn the 2020 election results. The four individuals we’ve subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes,” Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said at the time.

The subpoena to Giuliani said that he “urged President Trump to direct the seizure of voting machines around the country after being told that the Department of Homeland Security had no lawful authority to do so.”

“You actively promoted claims of election fraud on behalf of former President Trump and sought to convince state legislators to take steps to overturn the election results,” it added.