Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, is no longer able to deny that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians—an extraordinary position that effectively blows up months of previous “no collusion” defenses the president has repeatedly issued amid the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or people in the campaign,” Giuliani told CNN’s Chris Cuomo during a tense exchange Wednesday evening.
“Yes, you have,” Cuomo pushed back.
“I said the president of the United States,” Giuliani continued. “There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspiring with the Russians to hack the DNC.”
Giuliani added that if any collusion did take place, “it happened a long time ago” but that “it is not provable because it never happened.”
.@RudyGiuliani allows for the possibility of collusion with the campaign while saying it didn't happen.
"If the collusion happened, it happened a long time ago. It's either provable or it's not. It's not provable because it never happened…. there's no chance it happened." pic.twitter.com/gZKZGRksdN
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) January 17, 2019
"I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign… I have not. I said the President of the United States," Pres. Trump’s attorney @RudyGiuliani tells @ChrisCuomo https://t.co/Jy0gttT6Ac pic.twitter.com/JGISmtgrdy
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) January 17, 2019
The remarks, the latest in a series of baffling television appearances by the former New York mayor as he continues to represent the president, directly contradict the Trump team’s longstanding denials that any collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin had occurred.
“Democrats can’t find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey’s testimony. No Smocking Gun…No Collusion.” @FoxNews That’s because there was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2018
Excellent observation seemed like 40 minute interview on CNN this morning. You can investigate an innocent person forever and forever and find nothing. When do we say enough is enough. No collusion, no obstruction. President Trump did nothing wrong.
— Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) July 30, 2018
Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong – no collusion!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 16, 2018
Giuliani on Wednesday also dismissed the argument that if Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, did indeed share polling data with a man with alleged ties to Russian intelligence, as Robert Mueller has accused, those alleged actions still did not amount to collusion.
“Polling data is given to everybody,” he said, before instantly conceding that Manafort “shouldn’t have given it to them.”
.@RudyGiuliani allows for the possibility of collusion with the campaign while saying it didn't happen.
"If the collusion happened, it happened a long time ago. It's either provable or it's not. It's not provable because it never happened…. there's no chance it happened." pic.twitter.com/gZKZGRksdN
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) January 17, 2019
