Personal Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s financial dealings are under scrutiny from federal investigators after two associates who helped him search for dirt on Joe Biden and the Russia probe in Ukraine were arrested.
The FBI and federal prosecutors in New York are looking at Giuliani’s dealings with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were charged with violating campaign finance laws earlier this week, CNN reports. Investigators are looking at Giuliani’s involvement in the “broader flow of money that have become the focus of alleged violations.”
Giuliani is not believed to be a target in the investigation.
He told CNN he was unaware of any scrutiny into his dealings and that he had not been interviewed by the FBI.
Rudy’s henchmen arrested while trying to leave US:
Parnas and Fruman went to Ukraine to help Trump and Giuliani with their investigation into debunked conspiracy theories about Biden and the Russia probe. They helped connect Giuliani with a former Ukrainian prosecutor and other sources.
The indictment revealed that the men also donated money -- some violating legal limits -- to former Texas Rep. Pete Sessions to press for the firing of US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch after she resisted Giuliani’s efforts to wage a shadow foreign policy in the country, The New York Times reported.
Parnas and Fruman were charged with making illegal campaign donations in the scheme.
Parnas and Fruman were arrested Wednesday at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. They were arrested as they went to board a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Frankfurt on one-way tickets.
Prosecutors argued that they were a flight risk and the judge ordered them to be held on $1 million bail.
Rudy was headed to Vienna -- like Parnas and Fruman:
The Wall Street Journal reported that Parnas and Fruman were heading to Vienna, Austria when they were arrested. The Atlantic reported that Giuliani was headed to Vienna a day later.
Giuliani denied that he intended to meet the men there.
Asked why he planned to be in the city at the same time as his associates, Giuliani said, “I can’t comment on it at this time.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called for Giuliani to testify under oath after his associates were arrested.
"There are now new reports, very troubling, that two Giuliani associates are being indicted on criminal charges by the Southern District,” Schumer said. "Giuliani has been involved up to his neck in this entire mess. He has an obligation to testify under oath so he can be asked questions so this can come to light."
