Rudy Giuliani told Justice Department agents it was fine to “throw a fake” while campaigning, according to a newly released transcript of a 2018 interview probing a suspected leak of sensitive information to the former New York mayor.
Giuliani denied in the interview being leaked details by FBI agents of an investigation into then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election – despite appearing to tease as such during appearances on Fox News at the time.
Instead, Giuliani claimed the “big surprise” he’d alluded to on the conservative network was a direct-to-camera speech from then-Republican candidate Donald Trump – to whom, Giuliani told agents, he’d in 2016 been “best friend and companion and senior advisor to the campaign,” albeit in a non paid role.
The transcript was obtained by the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight and published by The Washington Post on Wednesday.
In the interview, Giuliani’s then-law partner and counsellor Marc Mukasey said that “in the heat of a political campaign, on television, I’m not saying Rudy necessarily, but everybody embellishes everything.”
“Oh, you could throw a fake,” said Giuliani, who would later become Trump’s personal attorney and parrot his 2020 election lies.
“You’re under no obligation to tell the truth,” Mukasey added.
“You could throw a fake,” reiterated Giuliani, who has been suspended from practicing law in New York and Washington, D.C., is under federal investigation, faces a $1.3 billion lawsuit and is now selling personalised videos on the Cameo website.
“Fake news, right?” asked one of the agents.
“Right,” replied Mukasey.
Giuliani denied in the interview being leaked details by FBI agents of an investigation into then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election – despite appearing to tease as such during appearances on Fox News at the time.
Instead, Giuliani claimed the “big surprise” he’d alluded to on the conservative network was a direct-to-camera speech from then-Republican candidate Donald Trump – to whom, Giuliani told agents, he’d in 2016 been “best friend and companion and senior advisor to the campaign,” albeit in a non paid role.
The transcript was obtained by the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight and published by The Washington Post on Wednesday.
In the interview, Giuliani’s then-law partner and counsellor Marc Mukasey said that “in the heat of a political campaign, on television, I’m not saying Rudy necessarily, but everybody embellishes everything.”
“Oh, you could throw a fake,” said Giuliani, who would later become Trump’s personal attorney and parrot his 2020 election lies.
“You’re under no obligation to tell the truth,” Mukasey added.
“You could throw a fake,” reiterated Giuliani, who has been suspended from practicing law in New York and Washington, D.C., is under federal investigation, faces a $1.3 billion lawsuit and is now selling personalised videos on the Cameo website.
“Fake news, right?” asked one of the agents.
“Right,” replied Mukasey.
