1/17/2019

PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUDY GIULIANI/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani backtracked on Thursday [1-17-19] from a surprising assertion he had made a night earlier that left open the possibility that Trump campaign aides might have coordinated with Russia in its election interference in 2016…Mr. Giuliani was seeking to clarify an interview on Wednesday [1-16-19] night in which he stopped short of defending Trump campaign aides, drawing speculation that he might have inside knowledge of possible coordination with Russia…Mr. Giuliani’s backpedaling was the latest in a series of conflicting comments he has made about the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. The evolution of his statements have suggested shifts in the president’s defense strategy, often following developments in the investigations. On Tuesday [1-15-19], prosecutors for the special counsel filed a 200-page, mostly redacted court document related to the case against Mr. Trump’s onetime campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. Among the little information that was not blacked out were details about his relationship with a Russian whom prosecutors have said has ties to Russian intelligence.”

Eileen Sullivan and Maggie Haberman, “Rudy Giuliani Backs Off Remarks on Potential Collusion by Trump Aides,” The New York Times online, January 17, 2019