>>> WE HAVE NEW INFORMATION
ABOUT THE FBI RAID OF RUDY
GIULIANIS HOME AND OFFICE ON
WEDNESDAY.
NBC NEWS HAS LEARNED THAT
FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS WERE
SEEKING EVIDENCE LINKING
PRESIDENT TRUMPS FORMER LAWYER
TO THE EFFORTS TO FIRE MARIAE
YOVANOVITCH
YOVANOVITCH.
SHE WAS A KEY WITNESS IN
PRESIDENT TRUMPS FIRST
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.
MS. YOVANOVITCH SAID SHE WAS A
CAMPAIGN OF LIES THAT LED TO HER
ABRUPT OUSTER IN 2019 AS PART OF
THE GIULIANI PROBE THE FBI
SEIZED EVIDENCE INCLUDING HIS
ELECTRONIC DEVICES.
INVESTIGATORS ARE TRYING TO
DETERMINE WHETHER HIS EFFORTS
RELATING TO UKRAINE MAY HAVE
VIOLATED THE FOREIGN AGENTS REJ
REGISTRATION ACT.
NO CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED
AGAINST MR. GIULIANI AND HE
CLAIMS THE SEARCH WARRANT WAS
CONDUCTED IMPROPERLY.
NBC NATIONAL SECURITY
CORRESPONDENT KEN DELANIE JOINS
US WITH MORE.
BEFORE WE DIVE TOO DEEP INTO THE
STORY, I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE
SOMETHING WE NEED TO CLARIFY
FROM OUR EARLIER REPORTING.
LETS START WITH THAT.
>> GREAT TO BE WITH YOU, JOSHUA.
THATS RIGHT.
ON FRIDAY NBC NEWS REPORTED THAT
THE FBI BACK IN 2019 HAD WARNED
RUDY JULIANGIULIANI THAT WAS HE
THE TARGET OF A RUSSIAN.
WELL, A SECOND SOURCE FAMILIAR
WITH THE MATTER IS TELLING US
TODAY THAT THAT SO-CALLED
DEFENSIVE BRIEFING WHILE
PREPARED, WELL PLANNED WAS NOT
ACTUALLY DELIVERED.
AND SO WE HAVE A AMENDED OUR
STORY TO REFLECT OUR LATEST
UNDERSTANDING.
AND "THE WASHINGTON POST," WHICH
FIRST REPORTED ON THIS ISSUE HAS
ALSO MADE A SIMILAR CORRECTION.
BUT JOSHUA, IN TERMS OF THIS NEW
AVENUE THAT WERE LEARNING ABOUT
THAT MAY BE THE FOCUS OF AT
LEAST PART OF THIS
INVESTIGATION, THE QUESTION OF
RUDY GIULIANIS EFFORTS TO GET
THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE
FIRED, HIS SUCCESSFUL LOBBYING
EFFORTS TO GET THE PRESIDENT TO
FIRE HER, THIS WAS EXPLORED IN
FULL IF YOULL RECALL DURING
PRESIDENT TRUMPS FIRST
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.
AND IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR THAT
RUDY GIULIANI AND OTHERS WANTED
HER OUT OF THE WAY BECAUSE SHE
WAS NOT ON BOARD WITH HIS
EFFORTS TO GET THE GOVERNMENT OF
UKRAINE TO INVESTIGATE JOE AND
HUNTER BIDEN.
WELL, NOW IT APPEARS THE FBI IS
LOOKING INTO WHETHER HE DID THAT
IN PART ON BEHALF OF A FOREIGN
INTEREST OF UKRAINIAN OLLIE
GARK, A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT,
FOREIGN ACTOR OF ANY KIND AND IF
HE DID THAT AND DIDNT REGISTER,
THAT COULD BE ILLEGAL, JOSHUA.
I WOULD CAUTION THAT WERE
GETTING A LITTLE BIT OF WINDOW
INTO THIS.
BUT THIS IS AN INVESTIGATION
THATS BEEN GOING ON A LONG
TIME.
THESE WARRANTS HAVE BEEN SERVED.
AND THERE MAY BE THINGS THEYRE
LOOKING AT THAT WE HAVE NO IDEA
ABOUT THIS.
IS THIS MAY JUST BE PART OF IT.
>> RUDY GIULIANI CLAIMS THAT THE
EVIDENCE THAT WAS SEIZED BY THE
FBI WAS OBTAINED
INAPPROPRIATELY.
HERE IS PART OF WHAT HE SAID.
>> THE DOCUMENTS THEY SEIZED
EASILY HALF OF THEM INVOLVE MY
REPRESENTATION OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES AS A
LAWYER.
AND WHEN I WAS A PROSECUTOR WHEN
WE USED TO OBEY THE
CONSTITUTION, YOU WOULD NEVER DO
THIS.
>> KEN, THIS DOES SEEM UNUSUAL
TO EXECUTE A SEARCH WARRANT ON A
LAWYER, ESPECIALLY A LAWYER WHO
USED TO REPRESENT A FORMER
PRESIDENT.
>> JOSH WARKS I WOULD SAY ITS
UNPRECEDENTED EXCEPT THERES A
PRECEDENT, ITS ANOTHER LAWYER
FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP, MICHAEL
COHEN HAD THE SIMILAR SITUATION
HIS OFFICE AND HOMES WERE RAIDED
BY THE FBI.
RUDY GIULIANI, OBVIOUSLY THIS
DOES PRESENT SOME ISSUES, BUT
THE GOVERNMENT HAS A WAY OF
DEALING WITH THIS.
THEY NAME A SO-CALLED CLEAN
TEAM, A TAINT TEAM, A SEPARATE
FROM THE INVESTIGATION OF FBI
AGENTS AND LAWYERS WHO GO
THROUGH EVERYTHING, ALL THE
MATERIAL FROM RUDY GIULIANIS
ELECTRONIC DEVICES THAT WERE
SEIZED TO MAKE SURE THAT NONE OF
IT IS SUBJECT TO ATTORNEY/CLIENT
PRIVILEGE AND TO REMOVE ANYTHING
THAT IS AND MAKE SURE THAT
THATS NOT PART OF THE CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION AND RUDY
GIULIANIS LAWYERS WILL GET A
CHANCE TO ARGUE ABOUT THAT IN
COURT AS MICHAEL COHENS LAWYERS
DID.
LAWYERS DONT GET A FREE PASS
FROM COMMITTING CRIMES JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE
BECAUSE THEY HAVE
ATTORNEY/CLIENT PRIVILEGE.
>> CRAIG MELVIN ASKED PRESIDENT
BIDEN ABOUT ALL THIS DURING HIS
INTERVIEW WITH THE PRESIDENT.
LETS LISTEN.
>> WERE YOU AWARE OF THAT RAID
BEFORE IT HAPPENED?
>> I GIVE YOU MY WORD I WAS NOT.
I MADE A PLEDGE I WOULD NOT
INTERFERE IN ANY WAY ORDER OR
TRY TO STOP ANY INVESTIGATION
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAD UNDER
WAY.
I LEARNED ABOUT THAT LAST NIGHT
WHEN THE REST OF THE WORLD
LEARNED ABOUT IT.
MY WORD.
I HAVE NO IDEA THIS WAS UNDER
WAY.
>> KEN, GET INTO THE CATEGORICAL
NATURE WITH WHICH THE PRESIDENT
RESPONDED TO THAT QUESTION.
THIS IS ABOUT AS BLACK AND WHITE
AS JOE BIDEN GETS YOU HAVE MY
WORD I DID NOT KNOW.
WHY IS HE THAT CATEGORICAL ABOUT
THIS?
>> WELL, VERY SIMPLY, JOSHUA, HE
IS SIMPLY RESTORED THE POST
WATERGATE NORMS UNDER WHICH A
PRESIDENT DOES NOT INTERFERE
WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
UNDER CRIMINAL MATTERS.
A WHOLE SORT OF BODY AND RULES
AND REGULATIONS AFTER RICHARD
NIXON INTERVIEWED WITH THE DOJ
WITH WATERGATE TO PREVENT THAT
FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.
ITS ONLY REMARKABLE BECAUSE
DONALD TRUMP SET THAT ASIDE AND
SAID THAT HE HAD THE POWER TO
STOP CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS TO
START CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
AND HE SORT OF TRASHED THIS POST
WATERGATE NORM.
WELL, JOE BIDEN HAS ABSOLUTELY
RESTORED IT AND WE HAVE NO
REASON TO BELIEVE THAT HES NOT
TELLING THE TRUTH THERE, THAT
THERES NO EVIDENCE HE PLAYED
ANY ROLE OR ANYONE AT THE WHITE
HOUSE.
THAT WAS TRUE UNDER THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION AND GEORGE W.
BUSH ADMINISTRATION, JOSHUA.
>> I WANT YOU TO REPEAT YOURSELF
JUST A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I
THINK THAT STORIES INVOLVING
RUDY GIULIANI NECESSARILY HAVE A
LOT OF, FIRE -- A LOT OF SOUND
AND FURY THAT CAN SIGNIFY
NOTHING AROUND HIM JUST BECAUSE
OF HIS PERSONALITY AND SO ON.
THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER.
I DONT WANT THIS TO GET CAUGHT
UP IN ANY KIND OF OPINIONS THAT
PEOPLE MAY HAVE ABOUT RUDY
GIULIANIS PERSONALITY OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
BEFORE I LET YOU GO, KEN, BOTTOM
LINE THIS FOR US ONE MORE TIME,
AS THIS STORY GOES FORWARD, WHAT
SHOULD WE BE PAYING ATTENTION
TO, WHAT SHOULD WE BE LOOKING
OUT FOR?
>> WELL, I THINK WERE ALL
GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THIS VERY
SORT OF RATHER PEDESTRIAN AND
PEDANTIC FOREIGN LOBBYING
REGISTRATION ACT WHICH SEEMS
LIKE A TECHNICAL STATUTE.
ITS NOT OFTEN ENFORCED.
BUT IN THIS CASE ITS A HUGE
DEAL BECAUSE IF RUDY GIULIANI
WAS LOBBYING THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES ON BEHALF OF
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND DIDNT
DISCLOSE IT, THATS ARGUABLY A
PERVERSION OF AMERICAN
DEMOCRACY.
IM NOT SAYING HE DID THAT.
THATS WHATS BEING
INVESTIGATED.
AND IT GOES WELL BEYOND SOME
PAPERWORK VIOLATION, SOME
FAILURE TO DISCLOSE.
AND ALSO, OF COURSE, JOSHUA, THE
U.S. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY HAS
MADE VERY CLEAR THAT RUDY
JULIANMY WAS RIGHT THE MIDDLE OF
A RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION
OPERATION TO INTERFERE IN THE
ELECTION BECAUSE HE WAS TAKING
INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE
TAKING INFORMATION FROM RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE.
I THINK GOING FORWARD, OBVIOUSLY
THE INVESTIGATION WILL PROCEED
AS IT L BUT IM WATCHING FOR THE
SORT OF LARGER PICTURE TO EMERGE
OF WHERE THIS FOREIGN LOBBYING
STUFF FITS IN TO OTHER ASPECTS
OF GIULIANIS CONDUCT, JOSHUA.
>> VERY SERIOUS INVESTIGATION
AND AGAIN TO REITERATE, IT IS SO
FAR STILL AN INVESTIGATION.
HE HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED WITH
ANYTHING AT LEAST NOT YET.