Rudy Giuliani Faces Criminal Charges After Refusing Pardon from Donald Trump
September 21, 2022
Rudy Giuliani refused to accept a pardon from Donald Trump when it was offered to him, so now Rudy Giuliani could face criminal charges as part of the ongoing Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Rudy Giuliani hasn’t been very quiet in recent months when it comes to his thoughts on Donald Trump and his administration,
but it looks like Rudy Giuliani might need to be quiet in prison if this report is true. More information on the story below comes courtesy of The New York Times.
#1) What’s the President got to do with this?
This is an unfortunate situation for Rudy Giuliani. Earlier this week, Rudy Giuliani admitted that he was the one who requested that Michael Cohen lies to Congress about his involvement with the Russia tower project in Moscow. He was hoping that Trump would pardon him,
but instead, Donald Trump turned on him and refused to pardon him. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has since announced its intentions to prosecute Rudy Giuliani, but all charges will be deferred pending discussions with Rudy’s lawyers.
#2) Was a pardon requested?
The former mayor of New York City said that he had not asked President Trump for a pardon and added, I don’t know what the heck I’m being pardoned for. Legal experts say that if Mr. Giuliani was convicted of obstruction of justice or perjury stemming from
Mr. Mueller’s investigation, Rudy Giuliani could have sought a pardon to avoid punishment. But by refusing it now, he may have put himself in legal jeopardy, as the president cannot pardon people for state crimes or act on behalf of someone accused of a crime.
Mr. Giuliani knows better than anyone what his options are, said Ken White, an associate professor at U.C.’s Hastings College of Law who writes about criminal law and is better known as Pope hat, on Twitter.
#3) Did he accept it?
Giuliani seemed initially open to the idea that Rudy Giuliani could accept a pardon from Trump. Giuliani, who is said to be devastated by Mueller’s report, believed that a pardon would help him avoid an embarrassing spectacle. He also saw a potential benefit of being pardoned by the president, who is close friends with Giuliani’s wife and daughter.
Giuliani declined to answer whether he had accepted or rejected an offer for clemency. His conversations about the possibility of accepting a pardon have led to speculation about where his loyalties lie concerning both current and future legal proceedings.
#4) Is there anything else we should know?
The New York Times published an interview with Rudy Giuliani, former US Attorney and NY mayor, who said that he declined to take a pardon from President Trump. He may now be facing criminal charges for obstruction of justice in connection with the federal investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election.
The information is based on a confidential memo authored by Professor Daniel Drezner of the Fletcher School at Tufts University and Eric Tucker, an editor for The New York Times. According to them, President Trump and Mr. Giuliani have been contemplating how best to limit the government’s ability to bring a case against him for obstruction of justice. In particular, they allegedly discussed whether he should step down or get some form of presidential pardon before Mueller issues his final report on the investigation.
#5) What was his crime anyway?
Giuliani was facing charges that he conspired with two men to extort about $4 million from several Wall Street firms for consultation work. However, the indictment contained an embarrassing detail for Trump. It alleged that Giuliani told the companies in question – including Herbalife and KPMG – that he had recently met with Trump and that this gave him insight into what was going on at the White House. The implication is clear: Trump wants money.
#6) Did he commit perjury during the investigation?
Rudy Giuliani met with Mueller’s investigators for two days earlier this week. He claimed that he doesn’t recall the specifics of any conversations with ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen. However, this is difficult to believe since he’s mentioned in a dozen different places in those taped conversations.
Cohen also admitted that he consulted the former Mayor before speaking to reporters about a potential payoff to ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal, who had an affair with Trump. All of these pieces lead experts and prosecutors alike to believe that Giuliani might have committed perjury during his testimony, putting him at risk for criminal charges as well as formal proceedings against him.
#7) Did he think he could get away with it?
He was quoted as saying, the president of the United States pardoned nobody. The mayor’s spokesperson also denied that a pardon had been requested. Despite this, Rudy has said he is willing to accept a pardon if one is offered. Now it looks like he will not have to wait much longer to find out if this offer will come.
Keep browsing Law Scribd for more updates.
