>>> WE HAVE NEW INFORMATION >>> 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.
