Former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani is facing a previously unreported Justice Department investigation into whether he lobbied for Turkey while representing former President Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg News.
Giuliani, who faces a criminal investigation into whether he illegally lobbied on behalf of Ukrainian officials and oligarchs while working for Trump, is also facing an inquiry into potential foreign lobbying for Turkish interests, according to the report.
Giuliani pushed the Trump administration in 2017 to drop money-laundering charges against Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab and to deport exiled Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, to Turkey.
Zarrab ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges and “implicated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a sanctions-evasion scheme, while Erdogan claims Gulen was behind a failed 2016 coup against his government,” according to the report.
A different kind of probe:
The inquiry is not a criminal investigation like the Ukraine probe. Even though both are focused on lobbying, the DOJ usually “takes a softer approach when it thinks failure to register wasn’t intentional,” according to Bloomberg.
Giuliani’s attorney Robert Costello denied the allegation.
“Giuliani never sought the cleric’s deportation, and he never represented Turkey,” he told the outlet, adding that Giuliani’s only interactions with Turkey were intended to attempt to release Zarrab to Turkey in exchange for Andrew Brunson, a pastor who was being held by Turkey.
Giuliani has denied lobbying for Ukrainian interests as well.
He has not been charged with any crime, though his office and home were raided by the FBI earlier this year and his electronic devices were seized.
Legal woes mount:
Along with the Ukraine and Turkey lobbying probes, Giuliani faces a growing number of other legal problems.
Earlier this month, a New York court suspended his law license and warned that he faces “permanent” sanctions.
Giuliani is also being sued by two voting machine companies who accused him of spreading conspiracy theories costing the companies billions while trying to overturn Trump’s loss.
Giuliani also faces a separate lawsuit from lawmakers who accuse him of helping to incite the January 6 Capitol riot.
