Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City and current personal attorney to President Donald Trump, has been at the center of a number of scandals in recent years, but his latest may be his most serious yet. Reports have surfaced that Giuliani allegedly withheld documents requested by the federal government as part of an investigation into his business dealings with Ukrainian entrepreneurs.
The documents, which have been described as “incriminating”, are said to have been requested as part of an investigation into Giuliani’s relationship with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, both of whom were named in an indictment filed by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller in October of 2019. Parnas and Fruman are accused of funneling foreign money into a pro-Trump superPAC in order to influence the 2016 election, and Giuliani is alleged to have received payments from them for his services.
The documents in question were allegedly requested by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in March of 2019, and Giuliani failed to provide them. According to reports, instead of complying with the request, Giuliani sought to conceal the documents and subsequently stopped communication with DOJ investigators. The documents that Giuliani allegedly withheld included hundreds of emails and bank statements, some of which contained damaging information regarding his Ukrainian contacts.
What is particularly concerning about this latest report is that Giuliani could potentially be charged with obstruction of justice. If he is found to have withheld documents that are pertinent to a federal investigation, it could constitute a crime, potentially leading to criminal charges.
The allegations against Giuliani are serious, and if true, they could carry significant consequences. Giuliani already faces multiple other criminal investigations, so the recent claims could only add to his legal woes. For now, it remains to be seen what will happen next, as the investigation into Giuliani’s actions continues.