Rudy Giuliani has reportedly discussed with President Trump the idea of receiving a potential "pre-emptive pardon" prior to the end of his term in office.
Giuliani, Trump's lawyer who has sought to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election over baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud, has "discussed with the president as recently as last week" a potential pardon, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. The Times notes that Giuliani's "potential criminal exposure is unclear," though he has come under investigation over his Ukraine business dealings. He hasn't faced charges.
According to the report, Trump hasn't yet indicated whether he might issue this pre-emptive pardon for his personal attorney, and it also reportedly isn't clear who raised the idea. But this report comes after last week, Trump pardoned Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and CNN writes that he's "expected to issue a string of additional pardons before leaving the White House."
Robert Costello, Giuliani's lawyer, told the Times that "he's not concerned about this investigation, because he didn't do anything wrong and that's been our position from Day 1," while a spokesperson said "Mayor Giuliani cannot comment on any discussions that he has with his client." Giuliani himself denied the report on Twitter, saying he "never had the discussion they falsely attribute to an anonymous source."