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- The FBI is investigating Rudy Giuliani over a Biden-Ukraine film project, Mother Jones reported.
- Giuliani is also being probed over his efforts to urge Ukrainian officials to dig up dirt on Biden.
- Audio from 2019 showed Giuliani pressed Ukrainian officials in exchange for better relations with the US.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into Rudy Giuliani over a film project he was working on about the Biden family and Ukraine, Mother Jones reported Thursday.
The investigation focuses on Giuliani and George Dickson III, a California entrepreneur, who were working on the film together, according to Mother Jones' sources, who were told about the probe by Dickson.
Mother Jones reported in May of 2020 that the pair was seeking $10 million to finance a documentary about presidential candidate Joe Biden and Ukraine.
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Giuliani has been persistent in his attempts to uncover dirt on Biden's dealings with Ukraine. In June, CNN published leaked audio from 2019 that showed Giuliani, then the personal lawyer for President Donald Trump, pushing a Ukrainian official to publicly announce an investigation into Biden in order to improve relations between the country and the US.
The same month that call took place, July 2019, another call took place between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump urged him to investigate the Biden family's dealings in Ukraine. That call led to Trump being impeached by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives later that year, though he was acquitted in the GOP-led Senate.
The FBI has already been investigating Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine, examining whether the former mayor of New York City violated foreign-lobbying laws while working on behalf of Trump to influence US policy in Ukraine. Giuliani has denied any wrongdoing.
Federal investigators raided Giuliani's home and office in April and seized 18 electronic devices after obtaining search warrants in the criminal investigation.
The film project the FBI is reportedly investigating did not result in a movie, but rather about 15 minutes of "low-quality footage," according to Mother Jones. People who worked on the film told the outlet the production was a mess, with one producer saying "they couldn't get their s--- together."
Dickson, the man who reportedly worked on the movie with Giuliani, also had his home raided by federal agents in June, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The FBI said it could not comment on ongoing investigations, so it was unclear if the raid was related to his dealings with Giuliani.
According to Mother Jones, Giuliani and Dickson did not stop working on the film until around the time the FBI began investigating in June of this year.
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