There is no evidence Rudolph W. Giuliani is doing any real legal work for President Trump. Going on TV and saying controversial or false (or both) things is not legal work. He evidences little understanding, for example, of campaign finance law (you cannot accept a campaign contribution and hide it). He either misrepresents or is ignorant of the workings of U.S. attorneys and FBI agents (who operated, not as “storm troopers” in the Michael Cohen case pursuant to a lawful warrant). He tells The Post he talks to Trump “most days,’ he tells Buzzfeed that he hasn’t spoken to Trump in a “couple” of weeks.

Giuliani claims to have been told many things, many of which just are not so (e.g., special counsel Robert S. Mueller III will limit topics for the interview, a president cannot be indicted, Mueller has a Sept. 1 end date). If there is a legal strategy, it’s far from clear Giuliani knows what it is or if Trump agrees with it. He frequently changes the advice he says he is giving the president. “Don’t testify — it’s a trap” becomes “Go ahead and testify” becomes “Truth is relative.”

Giuliani’s main function appears to be spreading misinformation, such as the invented “implanted spy” nonsense meant to discredit prosecutors. He’s running a PR campaign directed at gullible Trump voters.

So why then do the mainstream media treat him as a knowledgeable, credible insider? You got me. Giuliani, as we saw when he ventured onto ABC’s “This Week,” does not function well outside the Fox News bubble when journalists question his non sequiturs and rebut his obviously false assertions. He operates, as Trump does, with no regard for the facts. If real journalists are going to report on what he says, they at the very least need to get answers out of him to the following questions:

  • Have you ever spoken directly with Mueller? If so, for how long, and on what topics?
  • Do you understand that Trump can be subpoenaed to testify if he does not voluntarily agree to sit down with Mueller? Trump will have to testify one way or the other, right?
  • Do you believe a president must respond to a subpoena to testify about criminal and counterintelligence matters of which he has knowledge?
  • Will Trump comply with a subpoena?
  • Have witnesses and/or possible criminal defendants (or those who’ve struck deals) been told anything regarding a possible pardon? If so, what was said and who had the discussion?
  • Do you agree that a president can obstruct justice while in office?
  • What evidence do you have of an implanted “spy” on the campaign? Do you now understand that since all this transpired before the dossier was delivered that the dossier’s pedigree is irrelevant to the inquiry?
  • The unmasking allegation and the wiretapping allegation turned out to be utterly false. Why does the president keep throwing out phony conspiracy theories?
  • How can this be a witch hunt if 19 people have been charged and five pleaded guilty?
  • Is leaking the identity of a secret source whose identity is classified illegal? Should anyone who leaks such information be prosecuted?

In short, Giuliani keeps himself in the news by making up all sorts of things, advancing crackpot conspiracy theories and speculating without support about Mueller’s actions and motives. Rather than serve as a bullhorn for his propaganda, the media must start to put hard questions to him and reveal the extent of his involvement in a clear plan to smear law enforcement.