Federal search warrant executed at Rudy Giuliani’s NYC apartment

Giuliani tweeted Wednesday that he would issue a live statement on WABC-AM Radio in New York at 3 p.m. ET. But he failed to appear on that station as scheduled, and the show at that time, hosted by Dominic Carter, discussed the New York City mayoral race.

Giuliani also deleted his tweet.

Costello, in a lengthy statement to NBC later Wednesday, accused the Justice Department of a “corrupt double standard,” comparing its treatment of Giuliani with “high level democrats whose blatant crimes are ignored, such as Hilary Clinton, Hunter Biden and Joe Biden.”

Costello’s statement also claimed the materials taken are “replete” with information that is protected under attorney-client privilege.

A spokesman for Trump did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment. The Justice Department and a spokesman for the SDNY declined to comment.

Giuliani tried in 2019 to dig up damaging information on Hunter Biden, in connection with the younger Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine.

The efforts by Giuliani, Trump and others in his orbit to pressure Ukrainian officials to investigate the Bidens — or at least announce an investigation — prompted House Democrats to impeach the former president for the first time. Democrats argued Trump’s reelection ambitions prompted the dirt-seeking efforts.

The Senate, then held by Republicans, acquitted Trump.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan were known to be reviewing Giuliani’s bank records in connection with the investigation of his activities in Ukraine.

Giuliani reacted to the investigation last winter, asserting in a furious tweet that the federal investigators were acting as “secret police” to help Biden.

“They want to seize my emails. No reason. No wrongdoing. Attorney-Client privilege.?” Giuliani tweeted on Dec. 22.

The search was the second time that investigators from the SDNY had raided the property of someone who served as Trump’s lawyer.

The first was Michael Cohen, whose office and home were searched three years ago this month.

Cohen, once a Trump loyalist, later turned against his former boss and pleaded guilty to multiple crimes related to the ex-president and the Trump Organization. Trump and Giuliani both excoriated Cohen following his plea in November 2018.

Cohen is currently cooperating with an ongoing criminal probe of Trump and his business that is being conducted by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. That investigation focuses on possible bank and insurance fraud involving Trump Organization real estate assets, among other issues.

In a tweet Wednesday, Cohen reacted enthusiastically to news of the raid on Giuliani’s property.

“Here we go folks!!!” Cohen tweeted.

Andrew Giuliani, the former mayor’s son and a former Trump administration official, told CNN last week that he would travel to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, to discuss a possible New York gubernatorial bid with the ex-president.

Meanwhile, in Manhattan, journalists and onlookers were still gathered outside of Rudy Giuliani’s apartment building as of early Thursday evening, as “It’s the Hard Knock Life” from the musical “Annie” blasted from a nearby car.

A man driving by asked whom the crowd was waiting for. “Steve Bannon,” a woman replied jokingly, referring to Trump’s former top advisor and campaign chief. Before he left office, Trump pardoned Bannon, who had been under federal indictment.

When he was told that the reporters and photographers were waiting for Giuliani, the man then cracked: “Giuliani got raided today? About time.”

— CNBC’s Amanda Macias and Shepard Smith contributed to this report.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/28/rudy-giulianis-nyc-apartment-searched-by-federal-investigators-report-says.html