What to Know
- Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and personal attorney to former President Donald Trump is unlikely to face charges in connection with a nearly two-year investigation into whether he violated laws requiring him to register as a foreign agent in a Ukraine lobbying case, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
- The investigation, which is being conducted by federal prosecutors out of Manhattan and the FBI, has yet to conclude, the sources said, has looked at whether Giuliani was involved in potential illegal lobbying.
- Giuliani was a key figure in the events that led to Trump’s first impeachment, accused of relying on Ukrainian officials and members of parliament to try to dig up dirt about Joe Biden as he ran for president.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and personal attorney to former President Donald Trump is unlikely to face charges in connection with a nearly two-year investigation into whether he violated laws requiring him to register as a foreign agent in a Ukraine lobbying case, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
The investigation, which is being conducted by federal prosecutors out of Manhattan and the FBI, has yet to conclude, the sources said, has looked at whether Giuliani was involved in potential illegal lobbying.
Giuliani was a key figure in the events that led to Trump’s first impeachment, accused of relying on Ukrainian officials and members of parliament to try to dig up dirt about Joe Biden as he ran for president.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Those sources said the investigation hasn't concluded, but the former Republican mayor of New York City said Wednesday his phones have been returned and he has met with federal prosecutors in the Manhattan probe.
"If I were representing someone else, I would tell my client to be cautiously optimistic," Giuliani said. "These are good signs, but to quote Yogi Berra, 'It ain't over til it's over.'"
Giuliani said he met with federal prosecutors and the FBI in February of this year, claiming he had offered to meet with them for the past two years.
“I had offered to meet with them for two years,” he said. “We had a very good conversation and it lasted about four hours.”
"We had a very good conversation and it lasted about four hours," he said -- and said he was "happy" about the prospect of being cleared.
Federal investigators seized Giuliani’s electronic devices in April 2021 in part to see whether they contained any evidence showing efforts to oust U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and whether he potentially violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, requiring the disclosure of certain political activities or interests.
Yovanovitch was one of the key witnesses to testify in the House’s first impeachment inquiry into Trump, telling Congress she was subjected to a smear campaign based on lies that led to her abrupt removal in 2019.
People familiar with the matter confirmed that the investigation has not yet concluded.
Spokespeople for the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI declined immediate comment Wednesday.
