Politico wrote Wednesday about a Rudy Giuliani strategist, Katherine Friess, who no one seems to be able to find.
The report cited one piece from the House Select Committee investigating the 2020 election overthrow attempt to get her testimony, but she fought it in court. Prosecutors tried to find her for other cases, but failed. In the defamation case of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, Politico said they searched for Friess for months, but claimed she'd “vanished.”
No one seems to know where Katherine Friess is.
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The emails that Politico obtained make it clear she was "an active figure in Giuliani’s effort who feared what would happen if they failed. And they show that like so many others who have worked for Trump over the decades, Friess struggled to get paid."
She'd previously worked for lobbyist Charlie Black, who worked with Paul Manafort and Roger Stone. Ironically, she also worked for Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD), who attacked Trump for his role in Jan. 6, even going so far as to say he "incited an insurrection,” Politico cited.
The first email Politico reviewed to Giuliani was Friess complaining about her restricted access to mail-in ballots being counted in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. She went so far as to sign a declaration about her entitlement to observe, but it never seemed to be included in any legal filing the reporters could locate.
"In the document, Friess said she was an approved Republican Party observer and spent two hours watching the process at a Pittsburgh canvassing center on the morning of Nov. 3, 2020," the report said. She added that she didn't have a good view of the counting and reviewing.
“I do not believe any of these ballots should be allowed to be part of the final vote tally,” she wrote.
Friess explained that she was a lawyer who ran a national security company. "Public filings indicate the firm, Seven Good Stones, is located in Colorado, which is also where Friess — in one of her only public actions in recent years — sued to block a Jan. 6 select committee subpoena for her phone records," the report said. Both in Washington, D.C. and in Colorado, her law licenses are inactive.
Her emails with Giuliani and his colleague Bernard Kerik continued as she shared contacts for people who could speak out at "voter fraud" hearings. Giuliani testified that he sent her to at least "one significant meeting" on his behalf. She also interacted with Trump, he testified.
A Michigan newspaper, the Traverse City Record-Eagle, revealed that after Thanksgiving, Friess flew to Michigan on a private jet to do her own inspection of Antrim County voting machines. The report said that the county clerk found it alarming.
“She called me several times and wanted me to open everything up, open up the machines,” Antrim County Clerk Sheryl Guy said.
“This was before the lawsuit was filed and Bill Bailey was the one who put her onto me,” Guy said. “He wanted me to talk with her. I told her I did not have the authority to do what she wanted. Then I stopped taking her calls.”
Politico said that Friess' role was never clear, with Giuliani saying he never endorsed her communications plan which would have launched a ten-day media blitz about voter fraud leading into Jan. 6.
Another email showed she also helped raise money for Giuliani's efforts for Trump.
Each of the emails used encryption through either Hushmail or ProtonMail accounts.
Then, in late Dec. 2020, Friess sent a draft message that she intended to send to the White House demanding security clearance for Giuliani and Kerik as part of a "project" and classified "Directive."
“Given the classification status of the Directive and its resulting work product, for continued work on this project at all levels, our team members will need to be granted a provisional clearance for work on this project,” Friess wrote in her email.
“If you would please arrange for this, it would be most helpful to our efforts to defend the President," the email said. It was directed to "Mike Meadows," presumably meant to be then-chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Former professional surfer Conan Hayes was later added to the clearance list, as was former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne. It's unknown if the email ever made it to the White House or even what the "project" she referenced was.
The clearance approval would have given the men access to classified documents.
Politico asked several people where Friess was throughout the course of their investigation. No one knew.
“At least one third-party, Katherine Friess … has vanished,” Politico cited Freeman and Moss’ attorneys explaining last month. “Despite months of efforts, including extensive investigation and an order from this Court authorizing Plaintiffs to serve Katherine Friess by alternative service … Ms. Friess has never responded to Plaintiffs’ subpoenas nor provided documentary evidence, and Defendant Giuliani has declined to say where she might be.”
