Rudy Giuliani's defense of Trump tweet 'gets you very, very close to witness tampering': MSNBC legal analyst

Rudy Giuliani's defense of President Donald Trump sounds like the excuses offered by everyone prosecuted for witness tampering, according to an MSNBC legal analyst.

Daniel Goldman, an MSNBC contributor and former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the president's attorney didn't do his client any favors by admitting Trump was trying to direct Roger Stone to be truthful when testifying in the special counsel probe.

"It's the only defense to witness tampering," Goldman told "Morning Joe." "'I'm not telling them to lie, I'm simply telling them to tell the truth.'"

He pointed to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was charged with witness tampering in June for text messages that appeared he was trying to line up his testimony with other witnesses.

"His defense, and what they said is, he was reminding them of what they did so that they would tell the truth," Goldman said. "So the fact that Rudy Giuliani admitted that Donald Trump's tweet was encouraging something is an indication, whether it's to lie or not to lie."

"In this case, he says it's not to lie, but he's encouraging him to do something -- which gets you very, very close to witness tampering," he added.