Federal investigators have searched Rudy Giuliani’s apartment in the Upper East Side. According to the New York Times, the investigation is looking into his dealings in Ukraine.
Several of the lawyer’s electronic devices have reportedly been seized from him during the investigation.
Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert J. Costello, called the searches unnecessary.
“What they did today was legal thuggery. Why would you do this to anyone, let alone someone who was the associate attorney general, United States attorney, the mayor of New York City and the personal lawyer to the 45th president of the United States,” the New York Times cited Costello as saying.
The NYT believes the investigation is largely focused on claims that Giuliani illegally lobbied the Trump administration back in 2019 on behalf of Ukrainian officials, who were reportedly helping Giuliani to investigate Biden’s family’s dealings in the country.
The former New York City mayor has been under investigation for several years over the matter. Details of the searches were not immediately available.
The federal probe into Giuliani's overseas and business dealings stalled last year due to a dispute over investigative tactics amid Trump’s efforts to get reelected, plus Giuliani's prominent role in disputing the election results on Trump's behalf.
There’s no reason to suggest charges are imminent, but the warrants do represent a significant move in the investigation and mean that the police have persuaded a judge that there’s cause to suspect Giuliani.
He previously dubbed the investigation a “pure political persecution.''