FBI searched New York apartment of Trump's lawyer in 'Ukrainian' case

Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ransacked the New York apartment of Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and personal lawyer of the 45th US President Donald Trump. After the search, electronic devices were seized from him, writes Fox News.

The search took place as part of the investigation of the “Ukrainian” case: the federal authorities are checking whether Giuliani violated the law by lobbying the interests of Ukrainian officials in the Trump administration in 2019, when Giuliani was Donald Trump's personal lawyer.

According to Giuliani's lawyer Robert Costello, seven FBI agents arrived at his client's apartment at 6 a.m. on April 28 and stayed there for about two hours. The agents seized several electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones.

“It wasn’t necessary,” Costello is convinced. In his opinion, the search was carried out to "make Giuliani look like he was some kind of criminal."

On the subject: They were built by the president: what buildings in New York belong to Donald Trump

The search warrant was based on the suspicion that Giuliani, lobbying for the interests of Ukraine, violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). FARA requires people to notify the State Department if they are acting as a foreign agent.

The FBI and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on the case.

Giuliani was instrumental in prompting Ukraine to launch an investigation into then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter as part of an investigation into the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, of which Hunter Biden was on the board. The FBI suggests that in return for this service from Ukraine, Giuliani could secretly lobby for the interests of Ukrainian officials in the White House.

Giuliani's partners, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, have already been charged in this case, including campaign finance violations - they allegedly sent foreign money to the headquarters of various candidates in the United States in order to gain influence over them.

On the subject: From love to hate: how the relationship between Trump and New York developed

Rudy Giuliani's son, Andrew, issued a statement on April 28 in front of his father's apartment and called the search "disgusting," "politicizing the US Department of Justice."

“I speak like a son and a concerned American. Anyone, any American - red or blue (Republican or Democrat. - Ed.) - should be extremely concerned about what happened here today due to the continued politicization of the Department of Justice, - said Andrew Giuliani. - It's disgusting. This is absolutely absurd. "

On the morning of April 28, the FBI also paid a surprise visit to Victoria Tenzing, a lawyer close to Giuliani. Her house was not searched, but her phone was seized.

“Ms. Tensing is a former federal attorney and senior Justice Department official. She has always conducted herself and her legal practice in accordance with the highest legal and ethical standards, ”a spokesperson for Tenzing said in a statement.

He then clarified, "Ms Tenzing has been informed that she is not the target of the investigation."