Giuliani declined to comment to CNN on his way to Fulton County Superior Court just before 8:30 a.m. ET.
The indication that he is the target of an investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis has intensified the investigation and raised questions about Trump’s criminal disclosure in the investigation. Willis’ office has named 16 Trump-supporting activists accused of fraudulently running the 2020 presidential election as targets of its investigation, but the focus on Giuliani brings the investigation into Trump’s inner circle.
Giuliani’s attorney, Bob Costello, told CNN earlier this week that the former New York mayor was not required to answer questions.
“If they want to play hardball, we know how to play hardball,” Costello said.
Costello declined to say whether Giuliani would exercise his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, but suggested that Giuliani would not answer questions about his interactions with Trump.
“If you think he’s going to talk to you about the conversations he had with his client, you’re in for a disappointment,” Costello said. He says it all depends on the questions they ask.
Among the potential crimes Willis is investigating are making false statements to state and local agencies, soliciting election fraud and conspiracy.
Investigators are interested in Giuliani promoting election fraud claims to lawmakers
Giuliani and other Trump associates appeared in another hearing before Georgia lawmakers on December 30, 2020, where he reiterated false claims that the state’s election was affected by fraud.
Several state and federal authorities have denied his allegations. Trump-appointed officials were among those pushed back, including former Atlanta U.S. Attorney Byung “BJ” Pak, who confirmed on January 6, 2021 that the US House is investigating allegations of election fraud brought forward by Giuliani and others. Federal authorities and found not to be true.
Democratic lawmakers who testified before the Fulton County grand jury were asked to describe their experiences attending those hearings, focusing on the unusual manner in which the hearings were convened, the lawmakers’ records of shared information and the suggestion that lawmakers follow surrogates.
Giuliani denounced Willis’ trial as “a political stunt” and a sign that “we are beginning to live in a fascist state.”
“As I recall correctly, I represented Donald J. Trump as an attorney in Georgia, so I’m going to be sued for what I did as an attorney,” he said on his podcast Monday.
Many studies on Trump’s election reversal plans
For months, the public nature of the Fulton County investigation has seemed the most significant legal risk to Trump and his inner circle’s gambles to reverse a 2020 defeat. It has recently become clear that the US Justice Department is also investigating the 2020 election-related conduct of Trump associates, but the targets of that investigation are unknown.
Giuliani was subpoenaed in July and will appear before a Fulton County grand jury on Wednesday. A New York judge ordered him to testify after he failed to appear at a New York court hearing challenging the subpoena. Other Giuliani attempts to push the appearance — including claims that recent heart surgery prevented him from traveling — have failed.
Other attorneys representing Trump during the 2020 election also sought to challenge the subpoenas for testimony before the Fulton County grand jury.
This story and topic have been updated with additional improvements.
CNN’s Sarah Murray, Jason Morris, Gloria Borger and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
“Lifelong social media lover. Falls down a lot. Creator. Devoted food aficionado. Explorer. Typical troublemaker.”