Federal prosecutors have declined to press charges against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in their foreign lobbying investigation into him.
Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor, has been under investigation for the past several years, as prosecutors attempted to prove that he illegally lobbied the Trump administration in favor of Ukrainian officials who had been collaborating with him as he attempted to find dirt on the Biden family.
U.S. Attorney in Manhattan Damian Williams wrote to Judge J. Paul Oetken on Monday to say the “grand jury investigation that led to the issuance of the above-referenced warrants has concluded and that, based on information currently available to the Government, criminal charges are not forthcoming.”
Arthur Aidala, Giuliani’s lawyer, viewed the decision as a huge win, telling CNBC, “It’s very rare for the Southern District of New York to make such a definitive comment,” and, “And we are very pleased but not surprised that they have done so.”
Federal agents executed a search warrant at Giuliani’s home and law offices in April 2021 after federal prosecutors had convinced a judge to authorize the seizure of Giuliani’s electronic devices. However, they were unable to find any evidence to implicate him in wrongdoing.
Prior to the 2020 presidential election, Giuliani, who was at the time the personal lawyer of Donald Trump, sought to help the former president find any information that could damage Joe Biden’s prospects of winning the election.
Much of those efforts were focused on Biden’s son Hunter, who served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Two former associates of Giuliani, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were charged with federal campaign charges distinct from the dealings with Giuliani in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian controversy led to Trump’s first impeachment in 2019, but he was acquitted by the then- GOP-led Senate.
Both Giuliani and Trump are facing legal scrutiny from prosecutors from Fulton County, Georgia, after they attempted to challenge the results of the 2020 election, and Trump is still embroiled in legal issues after the raid on his Florida home by the FBI.
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