A judge said Friday that he will appoint a 'special master' to oversee a review of electronic files seized from Rudy Giuliani and another lawyer to make sure investigators can't get access to protected communications with their clients, including former U.S. President Donald Trump.
NEW YORK -- A judge said Friday that he will appoint a “special master” to oversee a review of electronic files seized from Rudy Giuliani and another lawyer to make sure investigators can't get access to protected communications with their clients, including former President Donald Trump.
“The search warrants at issue here were based on judicial findings of probable cause - supported by detailed affidavits - to believe that evidence of violations of specified federal offenses would be found at the locations to be searched. There is no legal requirement for the Government to proceed by subpoena, nor is there any basis for the subject of an investigation to require it to do so,” Oetken said.
Prosecutors are examining Giuliani's interactions with Ukrainian figures and whether he violated a law governing lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or entities made the request for a “special master” almost immediately after the raids. Giuliani, a Republican and former mayor of New York City, has not been charged with a crime. He has said all of his activities in Ukraine were conducted on behalf of Trump. At the time, Giuliani was leading a campaign to press Ukraine for an investigation into Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, before Biden was elected president.