- Rudy Giuliani carried three cellphones with him in a recent interview with the New York Magazine, but seemed to have only a rudimentary understanding of how to operate them, and one of which he reportedly almost lost.
- Despite him being a cybersecurity consultant, Giuliani reportedly has a slapdash attitude to cellphone security.
- In November he butt dialled an NBC News reporter, and could be heard discussing his quest for dirt on the Bidens which has become a central focus of the impeachment probe into President Donald Trump.
- Curent and former administration officials have told The Washington Post that Trump and Giuliani regularly speak by cellphone, but the talks could be exposed to Russian surveillance as neither device is encrypted.
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Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s personal attorney, reportedly travels with three cellphones he apparently has only a rudimentary undersanding of how to operate, according to a new profile of the former New York mayor from New York Magazine.
The article describes how Giuliani, who has provided consultancy work as a cybersecurity expert, travels with three cellphones, and takes a pretty relaxed attitude to their security.
“Two of the devices were unlocked, their screens revealing open tabs and a barrage of banner notifications as they knocked into each other and reacted to Giuliani’s grip,” reporter Olivia Nuzzi wrote.
“He accidentally activated Siri, who said she didn’t understand his command. ‘She never understands me,’ he said. He sighed and poked at the device, attempting to quiet her,” she continued.
It goes on to describe how Giuliani later left one of his phones in the car after the interview, after assuring his bodyguard he was carrying it.
"A few minutes later, as we made our way downtown, I saw from the corner of my eye the sun reflecting off of something. It was the screen of one of the phones, which he had left on the seat next to me.
"I handed it to the bodyguard, who laughed. He called Giuliani to tell him, and Giuliani laughed too."
It's not the first report that has emerged painting a picture of Giuliani's careless approach to his use of mobile phones.
Back in November, Giulaini "butt dialled" an NBC News reporter, and could be heard on another line discussing a need for cash, business dealings in Bahrain and Turkey, and Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
It was Giuliani's search for dirt on the Bidens from contacts in Ukraine that was key to the chain of events that led to President Donald Trump's impeachment last week on charges of abuse of power.
Former and current Trump administration officials told The Washington Post in December that Trump and Giuliani regularly communicated via cellphone, with no evidence that either device was encrypted and so could be exposed to surveillance from Russia or other foreign powers.
In the New York Magazine interview, Giuliani addressed reports claiming that he had had multiple conversations with individuals at the White House while he was drumming up unsubstantiated allegations about the Bidens and their dealings in Ukraine - including with an individual at a mysterious "-1" number widely believed to be the president himself.
"I don't remember who I called. I talk to the president, mostly," said Giuliani.
He claimed that though he didn't recall who he spoke to, he didn't speak about witholding military aid from Ukraine to secure the Biden dirt, a claim that is at the center of impeachment allegations against Trump.
"Those calls - I can tell you what they don't have to do with: They don't have to do with military aid. I never discussed military aid with them," said Giuliani.