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- A probe into Rudy Giuliani’s business and overseas dealings has resumed, according to AP.
- The criminal investigation will look into the legality of his conversations with Ukrainian officials.
- Giuliani is also facing lawsuits from Dominion and a Democratic lawmaker.
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A federal criminal investigation into Rudy Giuliani has resumed, according to the Associated Press.
The US Attorney’s office at the South District of New York has “returned to the question of bringing a criminal case against Giuliani,” the news outlet reported.
Investigators intend to look into former President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney’s business dealings and whether these defied lobbying laws, AP said.
There will be a particular focus on examining the legality surrounding Giuliani’s conversations with Ukrainian officials, Forbes reported.
According to two unnamed officials familiar with AP, whether Giuliani’s failure to register as a foreign agent is central to this probe.
A transcript surfaced last month of a 40-minute phone call between Giuliani and two Ukrainian officials in which he allegedly pressured them to investigate the Biden family, reported Time magazine.
This is reminiscent of the call which was central to Trump's first impeachment inquiry, in which the former president spoke to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelnskiy about Hunter Biden,
The investigation into Giuliani's Ukraine dealings temporarily reached a halt last year after Justice Department officials attempted to block a search warrant of the former mayor's digital records, The New York Times reported.
It has reportedly received a jumpstart because "the dust has settled now," former federal prosecutor Kenneth F. McCallion told AP.
Giuliani said that he believes this investigation is "pure political persecution," he told the news outlet.
His lawyer, Robert J. Costello, told AP that he has "heard nothing" about the probe.
Giuliani is currently facing a number of legal challenges linked to his baseless claims of voter fraud during the presidential election. On Friday, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell filed a federal lawsuit against Trump, Giuliani, and GOP Rep. Mo Brooks.
Dominion Voting Systems have also filed a lawsuit against Giuliani, accusing him of defamation.