Moments after comparing former Vice President Joe Biden's takedown of Senator Lindsey Graham a "poor imitation of The Godfather," former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani seemed to imply he possessed incriminating information on his client, President Donald Trump, during a televised interview Saturday. Later in the day, he clarified his comment.
On the Fox News show America's Newsroom, host Ed Henry asked Giuliani about the status of his relationship with the president.
"Have you talked to President Trump in the last week or two? Have you met with him? Are you still his counsel?" Henry asked.
"I do not discuss my conversations with my client," Giuliani replied, talking over the host. "You can assume that I talk with him early and often and have a very, very good relationship with him, and all these comments—which are totally insulting—I mean, I've seen things written like he's gonna throw me under the bus."
"Right," Henry affirmed.
"When they say that, I say, 'He isn't, but I have insurance,'" Giuliani added.
As Henry let out an uncomfortable laugh, Giuliani resumed. "We are very good friends. He knows what I did was to defend him, not to dig up dirt on Biden," he said, referring to an ongoing federal investigation that has so far led to the indictment of two of Giuliani's former associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, on charges of campaign finance fraud.
Sticking to the conversation's organized crime theme, Giuliani then pivoted the conversation back to Biden and new accusations he planned to raise against Obama White House officials.
"In fact, they're ultimately going to prove that this was a conspiracy to frame him in which high-level Democrats participated, including some people in the White House."
Shortly after the appearance, Giuliani tweeted a copy of the letter he sent to Graham, asking for the senator's help in securing visas for Ukrainian nationals whom he claimed were being refused in keeping with a years-long policy of denying travel credentials "to many who possessed evidence of Democrat, embassy, and Biden corruption."
My letter to @LindseyGrahamSC
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) November 23, 2019
These witnesses have direct (non-hearsay) evidence of Democrat criminal conspiracy with Ukrainians to prevent @realDonaldTrump from being President, and more.
Taylor’s Embassy is uniformly refusing them visas. pic.twitter.com/LZTygHlkwy
Compounding the crisscrossing allegations of wrong doing in Eastern Europe circulating on Saturday, TIME reported the day before that Andriy Kobolyev, the CEO of Naftogaz, Ukraine's state energy utility, confirmed in an exclusive interview that he was prepared to testify in a federal investigation into the attorney's "business dealings" in Ukraine.
As The Associated Press reported in October, prior to the impeachment scandal, individuals "touted connections to Giuliani and Trump while trying to install new management at the top of Ukraine's massive state gas company. Their plan was to then steer lucrative contracts to companies controlled by Trump allies, according to two people with knowledge of their plans."
After multiple outlets reported on Giuliani's insurance comment Saturday afternoon, the attorney took to Twitter once again. This time issuing a "truth alert," saying that his reference alluded to incriminating information he possessed about the Bidens. Giuliani did not explain how such information would prove useful should Trump throw him under the proverbial bus, as he earlier asserted commentators had warned.
TRUTH ALERT:
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) November 23, 2019
The statement I’ve made several times of having an insurance policy, if thrown under bus, is sarcastic & relates to the files in my safe about the Biden Family’s 4 decade monetizing of his office.
If I disappear, it will appear immediately along with my RICO chart.
This article has been updated to include Rudy Giuliani's tweet elaborating on his earlier insurance claim.
