In what could be a major breakthrough, Rudy Giuliani is reportedly in talks with the House Jan. 6 committee about responding to its questions.
Giuliani, Donald Trump's personal attorney, helped lead the former president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
"The extent of any assistance that Mr. Giuliani might provide remains unclear and the negotiations could easily fall apart, especially as Mr. Trump continues to publicly rail against the investigation," the New York Times reported Saturday night. "But Mr. Giuliani, through his lawyer, has signaled to the committee that he plans to take a less confrontational stance toward its requests than some other members of Mr. Trump’s inner circle who are fighting the committee’s subpoenas or have otherwise refused to cooperate."
The committee subpoeanaed Giuliani last month, and his willingness to cooperate may suggest he wants to avoid an expensive court fight, the NYT reported, noting that he has recently suffered other potentially costly legal setbacks.
"Should Mr. Giuliani ultimately provide the committee with substantive cooperation, it would be a major breakthrough for the investigation and a breach in the relationship between Mr. Trump and one of his closest if most problematic advisers," the NYT reported. "One person familiar with the matter said that Mr. Giuliani was still negotiating over whether to give investigators an informal interview or a formal deposition, and that he had not yet determined how much information he might seek to shield from the committee by invoking executive privilege or attorney-client privilege with Mr. Trump."
Responding to the NYT report, MSNBC legal analyst Joyce Vance wrote: "Giuliani has undoubtedly played this out in his head. He knows how prosecutions work. He either gets caught holding the bag for Trump & possibly dies in prison or he cooperates, if he can, & has some hope of salvaging something of his life."