Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday he can understand why Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and said he may have also stepped down if he were in Sessions’ shoes considering his prominent role he played in President Trump’s campaign.
“I would have considered it, sure. I told the president at the time that I just didn’t know what I would have done,” Giuliani told HuffPost.
Giuliani, now one of Trump’s personal lawyers, added that unlike Sessions, he never met with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Sessions recused himself from overseeing Russia-related Justice Department probes in March 2017, which has drawn criticism from Trump for more than a year. According to a New York Times report Tuesday, Trump urged Sessions to reverse his decision in a conversation that allegedly also occurred in March 2017 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Fla.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into discussions between Trump and Sessions regarding the recusal and the president’s other attacks on the country’s top law enforcement official, both public and private, according to the Times.
Trump tweeted Wednesday that he wished he had selected someone other than Sessions for the post of attorney general, after Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said “there are lots of really good lawyers in the country.”
“I can understand why the president is frustrated by it. The president would have every right to ask him to unrecuse himself,” Giuliani told HuffPost Wednesday, adding he believed Sessions should ask Mueller how long he expects his probe to continue.
Despite Trump’s criticisms, Sessions has defended his choice and said he did the right thing by stepping aside.
