HURDLES

Trump Appointees in DOJ Repeatedly Stalled Giuliani-Ukraine Probe: NYT

DOJ officials are said to have repeatedly swatted down Manhattan prosecutors’ bids to obtain a search warrant for the Trump lawyer’s communications.

Justice Department officials repeatedly stalled efforts last year by Manhattan prosecutors to get a hold of Rudy Giuliani’s electronic communications as part of their probe into his anti-Biden crusade in Ukraine, according to multiple reports. Sources cited by CNN on Wednesday said DOJ officials pushed back against prosecutors’ bids to obtain a search warrant for Giuliani’s communications, citing everything from the upcoming 2020 election to his role as a lawyer for President Donald Trump. New York investigators, required to consult the DOJ about any search warrants involving lawyers, were rebuffed again after the election, with officials citing Giuliani’s role in challenging the election results on behalf of Trump, according to The New York Times.

Among Giuliani’s other dealings in Ukraine, federal prosecutors had reportedly honed in on his links to Dmytro Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch under indictment in the U.S. who said Giuliani offered to help with his legal troubles in exchange for dirt on the Bidens. The Manhattan probe into Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine was still well underway during the final months of the Trump administration, and ultimately, DOJ officials said any decision on a search warrant for Giuliani’s records should be made after President Joe Biden took office. It was not immediately clear if prosecutors have since revived the matter with the DOJ since Biden took office. Giuliani has denied wrongdoing.