Trump, Giuliani Spoke Briefly at Mar-a-Lago Party on Saturday
The president and Giuliani said a quick hello but didn’t have a full meeting, said a person familiar with the matter.
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump spoke briefly with personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who’s under federal investigation, on Saturday night during a gathering at his private resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump and the former New York mayor saw each other at the event, a Studio 54-themed party at the Mar-a-Lago club, said Giuliani spokeswoman Christianné Allen.
The president and Giuliani said a quick hello but didn’t have a full meeting, said a person familiar with the matter. A jacketless Giuliani was photographed without Trump at the party.
Giuliani is under investigation for possible campaign finance violations and a failure to register as a foreign agent as part of a probe into his financial dealings, yet Trump has stuck by him so far. Some Republicans have sought to put distance between the two men.
Ukraine Visits
Giuliani’s activities in Ukraine, where he’s sought to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden, served as a central part of the House Democrats’ impeachment of Trump on one charge each of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Trump last week called Giuliani “a great person who loves our country” and who “does this out of love,” referring to his lawyer’s recent trip to Ukraine.
Giuliani has said in interviews that he speaks with Trump on a regular basis.
Turning Point
Giuliani was in the area to speak at the conservative Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, where he blasted the impeachment inquiry, attacked Biden, and defended himself from accusations of wrongdoing. Trump also addressed the gathering on Saturday.
“Now I’m being investigated for crimes. I can assure you I’ve never committed a crime,” Giuliani said in his Turning Point speech on Thursday. “I don’t lobby. I don’t represent foreign governments.”
Trump also spoke briefly on Saturday with Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher. The president in November ordered the Navy to restore Gallagher’s rank in an intervention that led to the firing of the U.S. Navy Secretary. Gallagher, disciplined for posing with the corpse of an Islamic State captive in Iraq, was one of three war-crimes cases in which Trump intervened.
Trump arrived at Mar-a-Lago Friday night and is expected to stay in Florida on his annual holiday vacation until after the new year.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jordan Fabian in Palm Beach at jfabian6@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny, Ian Fisher
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