Giuliani a Target of Criminal Investigation in Georgia Election Probe: Lawyer

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington, on Sept. 27, 2020. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is now the target of a criminal probe in Fulton County, Georgia, in connection to the 2020 elections, his lawyer said on Monday.

Giuliani’s lawyer Robert Costello told Reuters that prosecutors informed Giuliani’s lawyers on Monday afternoon that he was a target of their investigation. Giuliani will refuse to answer any questions about Trump that would violate their attorney-client privilege, he said.

“If these people think he’s going to talk about conversations between him and President Trump, they’re delusional,” Costello also told the New York Times.

“This comes on the heels of us asking him probably six or seven times” whether Giuliani was being targeted in the investigation, Costello told CNN. He was referring to an official in the Fulton County District Attorney’s office and added that the office previously declined to answer their questions.

Giuliani, a former crime-fighting U.S. Attorney, was among several Trump advisers and lawyers as well as others who received subpoenas from the grand jury last month, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), according to court papers. Giuliani is scheduled to testify in front of a special grand jury panel on Wednesday.

Costello told the Washington Post that both he and Giuliani “plan to be in Atlanta on Wednesday” to testify before the grand jury. “We are not going to deal with this postponement issue anymore,” Costello said.

A federal judge on Monday ruled that Graham has to now testify before the grand jury about phone calls he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

“The court finds that the District Attorney has shown extraordinary circumstances and a special need for Senator Graham’s testimony on issues relating to alleged attempts to influence or disrupt the lawful administration of Georgia’s 2022 elections,” U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May wrote in an order on Monday.

Graham’s office said the senator plans to appeal the decision, according to a statement after the order was issued. Previously, he argued that he should be exempt from testifying due to sovereign immunity, his position as a top-level government official, and other protections.

“Here, Senator Graham was doing his due diligence before the Electoral Count Act certification vote—where he voted to certify the election,” Graham’s office said in a statement on Monday. “Although the district court acknowledged that Speech or Debate may protect some of Senator Graham’s activities, she nevertheless ignored the constitutional text and binding Supreme Court precedent.”

The Epoch Times has contacted Giuliani’s office for comment.