WASHINGTON — Rudy Giuliani will no longer meet Friday with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, his lawyer confirmed.
The last-minute change, attorney Robert Costello said, came after the House committee denied a request to record the scheduled interview. Costello said he made the request in advance so there would be no allegation of covertly recording Giuliani's testimony.
Costello said it's now up to the committee how to proceed.
Giuliani’s canceled appearance was previously reported by CNN.
In a statement Thursday, committee spokesperson Tim Mulvey said Giuliani had agreed to participate in a transcribed interview but “informed committee investigators that he wouldn’t show up unless he was permitted to record the interview, which was never an agreed-upon condition.”
“Mr. Giuliani is an important witness to the conspiracy to overthrow the government and he remains under subpoena,” Mulvey said. “If he refuses to comply the committee will consider all enforcement options.”
The committee subpoenaed Giuliani and three other allies of former President Donald Trump in January over efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The panel identified Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell and Boris Epshteyn as among the most ardent promoters of Trump’s false claims of a stolen election.
The committee said its interest in Giuliani, Trump’s former lawyer, stemmed from his efforts to, among other things, “convince state legislators to take steps to overturn the election results.” Giuliani was in contact with Trump and members of Congress “regarding strategies for delaying or overturning the results of the 2020 election,” the subpoena states.
Failing to cooperate with the Jan. 6 committee could prompt the panel to recommend that Giuliani face a contempt charge, a process that would involve a House vote. The committee took similar steps with former White House strategist Steve Bannon and ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
