"So, why did Guiliani put up with so much?" asked Melber. "Well, one thing we do know, again, this is from him, is that he desperately wanted a big international role [in the Trump White House]. He wanted to be Secretary of State. He openly campaigned for that job. He was fanning media coverage getting article headlines about being a, quote, favorite."
Ultimately, he withdrew his own name before he was even reportedly considered. A similar embarrassment came from Giuliani when he said he didn't want to be Trump's attorney general, which he was also not considered for. Melber asked how Giuliani's role as Trump's lawyer and fixer on the outside can ultimately lead to a downfall. No one knows that more than Michael Cohen, who's serving three years in prison thanks to his role as Trump's fixer.
Former campaign press secretary Ken Frydman told Melber that he still supports so many of the things Giuliani has done throughout his career, but the role of working with Trump is not something he can stand behind.
"Do you think that he has exercised such poor judgment that he may have put the Trump presidency in peril?" asked Melber.
Frydman said he does.
"I think he's as responsible as anyone for threatening the president with possible impeachment," he explained.
Melber noted that Giuliani, who is now under federal investigation, has made quite the name for himself internationally as well as made a lot of money. But in the case of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, Giuliani accepted money for nothing more than an "access play," Melber said.
"Right, he has," Frydman said simply. "Money is a very seductive object, and a lot of people can't make enough of it, and he apparently is one of them. And he's not being as discriminating apparently about his clients as he should be. It shows poor judgment on his part to take $500,000 from these two gentlemen without apparently doing any legal work is highly questionable."
The reason Frydman said Giuliani wanted so desperately to win over Trump came from Guiliani's own presidential campaign in 2008, but it quickly collapsed after a top appointee of Guiliani's was indicted on 16 counts of tax fraud.
"This is as close as he could get to being president," said Frydman. "You referred to his lobbying for secretary of state. That's something Rudy would have hated. You don't float yourself, and you don't turn down a job you weren't offered. I can imagine Rudy saying, 'That guy is never going to be my secretary of state,' which is what Trump did."
In another interview with Melber, Frydman explained Giuliani has "lost his fastball." When Melber asked him about it again, Frydman said simply, that Giuliani has "lost something off the fastball, that's for sure. It's not '93 anymore."
Watch the full interview below:
