Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday he wants special counsel Robert Mueller to clear President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing by September or risk "doing a Comey."
Giuliani is on Trump's legal team that is representing him amid the investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. He spoke briefly with reporters outside the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
"By Sept. 1, the public should have an explanation of what Mueller has," Giuliani said. "I really want that because I don't think he has much.
"If he doesn't file his report by Sept. 1, mid-September, he's clearly doing a Comey."
That last remark was in reference to former FBI Director James Comey, who drew criticism for not recommending charges be brought against 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, announcing before the election he was taking another look at the case, and then closing the case days before Americans cast their vote. Clinton and some of her supporters claim Comey's actions so close to Election Day cost her the election.
Giuliani promised an upcoming report from the Department of Justice's inspector general will discuss Comey's actions.
"Meddling in the election," Giuliani said, when asked what "doing a Comey" means.
"Doing Hillary in July, doing Hillary again in late October, and then pulling back on the investigation the weekend before the election. Horrible. You're gonna get a report from [DOJ IG Michael] Horowitz, I believe, that will explain all that."
When asked whether Trump would fire Mueller if the former FBI director does not file his report by September, Giuliani said that likely will not happen.
"I don't think he's going to fire Mueller – Mueller is creating his own problems," he said.
Mueller's Russia probe has resulted in several indictments of people in Trump's orbit, although those were not related to Russian collusion. He also indicted 13 Russians on charges that they tried to interfere in the 2016 election.
In a separate interview Wednesday night with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Giuliani said he was confident of his legal strategy.
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"We'll let the American people decide this," he said. "If this were a regular case, I wouldn't be doing it. The people that will decide this is are the people of the United States in the election. They're switching fast, and the Democrats are running for cover. You don't hear impeachment anymore."
"I have no fear of it, nor does the president," he added. "The president has done nothing wrong. Read my lips, nothing wrong."