Federal prosecutors in New York have discussed seeking Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani's emails, NBC News reports.
Prosecutors for the Southern District of New York have discussed gaining access to Giuliani’s emails with senior Justice Department officials in Washington DC, according to the report.
Prosecutors need DC officials to sign off before they can ask a judge to sign a search warrant for materials that could be protected by attorney-client privilege, DOJ policy states.
It is unclear whether DOJ officials granted the approval but the discussions suggest that the federal probe into the president’s personal attorney, who is leading his failed bid to challenge the results of an election he lost in court, is ramping up just as Trump is on his way out.
Probe unclear:
The scope of the probe is unclear.
The Wall Street Journal first reported last year that SDNY prosecutors were looking at Giuliani’s financial records in connection to his work in Ukraine.
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two former business associates of Giuliani who led his search for dirt on Biden in Ukraine, were arrested last year on campaign finance and wire fraud conspiracy charges. Both men have pleaded not guilty.
The Washington Post reported early this year that prosecutors had contacted witnesses in the Giuliani investigation.
Prosecutors have also sought to obtain documents in the probe.
Probe “very active”:
Two sources familiar with the probe told NBC that the investigation is “very active.”
Robert Costello, Giuliani’s lawyer, told the outlet, "I have no reason to believe there’s any truth to the allegations that there is renewed interest in my client.”
Former US Attorney Chuck Rosenberg noted that with the election over, Justice Department rules surrounding actions that could influence an election no longer apply.
"It's sensible to perhaps treat a search warrant as an overt investigative step," he told NBC. "Search warrants for a subject's personal belongings are not terribly discreet and the recipient of the warrant can talk about it. That could be a legitimate concern before an election but the equation changes after an election, when you no longer need to abstain from overt investigative steps."
