Rudy Giuliani, who was President Donald Trump's personal lawyer during his fight to hold onto office after the 2020 election, has been told he is a target of a Georgia criminal investigation of interference in that election, The New York Times reported Monday.
The former New York City mayor's lawyer Robert Costello revealed to the newspaper during an interview that special prosecutor Nathan Wade in Fulton County, Georgia, alerted Giuliani’s local attorney in Atlanta, Bill Thomas, of the development earlier Monday.
Costello told the Times prosecutors were "delusional" if they expected Giuliani to talk about conversations with Trump, suggesting that Giuliani may assert attorney-client privilege and refuse to answer questions about his private dealings with Trump.
Giuliani appeared before state lawmakers in December 2020, offering claims of stolen ballots and urging them not to certify Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election.
The Fulton County criminal probe, one of several investigations into Trump's attempt to invalidate the 2020 election, has ensnared multiple members of Trump's inner circle of advisers.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened the investigation last year, and a special grand jury was seated in May at her request.
County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s overseeing the special grand jury, has instructed Giuliani to appear before the panel to testify on Wednesday.
McBurney had urged prosecutors during a hearing last week to tell Giuliani’s lawyers before his appearance whether he is a target of the investigation.
This report contains material from Reuters and The Associated Press.