When President Trump announced the addition of former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani to his legal team on April 19, Trump said Giuliani wanted to “quickly” resolve the special counsel investigation into Russian election interference.
Less than three weeks on the job, Giuliani has done anything but help wind down the federal probe and may have entangled Trump in more legal trouble in the Michael Cohen-Stormy Daniels case.
After first contradicting his client on “Hannity,” saying Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the Daniels hush payment, Giuliani then contradicted himself 10 hours later on “Fox and Friends.”
“Imagine if that [payment] came out on Oct. 15, 2016, in the middle of the, you know, last debate with Hillary Clinton,” he said.
But this was just the beginning of the Giuliani media blitz.
Over the past six days, Giuliani has made four television appearances, spoken with no fewer than five newspapers and addressed the Iran Freedom Convention for Democracy and Human Rights.
In that time, Giuliani:
- Said Trump does not have to comply with a subpoena from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III
- Said Trump could invoke the Fifth Amendment in an interview with Mueller
- Said Attorney General Jeff Sessions should end the Cohen probe
- Compared the FBI-Cohen raid to Nazi Stormtrooper tactics
- Suggested Jared Kushner was “disposable”
- Called former FBI director James B. Comey “Judas”
- Said North Korea was set to release three American hostages
- Suggested Trump doesn’t actually know Stormy Daniels
But as Trump reportedly grows increasingly frustrated with Giuliani’s appearances, Trump’s newest lawyer doesn’t seem worried.
“If I’m not up to it, I don’t know who is,” Giuliani told Politico. “I know the Justice Department better than just about anyone.”