Rudy Giuliani’s attorney told Reuters that his client was joking about having an “insurance policy” against President Trump if he were “thrown under the bus.” Robert Costello said Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, recently called the president “at my insistence” and told him that the “insurance” remark was a joke. “He shouldn’t joke, he is not a funny guy. I told him, ‘Ten thousand comedians are out of work, and you make a joke. It doesn’t work that way,’” Costello said, adding that Giuliani and Trump’s relationship has remained unchanged. “They speak all the time,” he said. The White House has not commented publicly on the matter.

The news comes after Trump said in an interview that he did not direct Giuliani to dig up any dirt on his political opponents in Ukraine and remarked that his attorney had other clients and work in Ukraine. Costello declined to comment on Trump’s remarks.