The Story:
Federal authorities searched the Manhattan apartment and office of former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani on Wednesday, April 28. This was an escalation of an investigation of his business dealings, especially in the Ukraine, when he was working as the personal attorney of President Donald Trump.
Background:
Giuliani’s life story is an touching one, and it might almost be labelled “promise wasted.” Giuliani was the stereotypical Young Man Going Places in the 1980s, when he attracted a lot of public attention, in New York and beyond, as the prosecutor who pursued corrupt Wall Street figures like Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky. This propelled him into the office of Mayor of the surrounding City. He was still its Mayor when hijacked airplanes hit the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, and he gained further favorable attention by keeping a calm head in the apocalyptic days that followed.
Unfortunately, although his actual achievements peaked at that time, his ambitions have never peaked. Through the remaining years his role in public life has become increasingly idiosyncratic, sometimes even clownish. That is especially true of his behavior through the period 2019 to 2021.
The Thing to Know:
An analysis of Russia’s meddling in the US 220 election cycle, released by intelligence agencies in March 2021, said that Ukrainian politician Andriii Derkach had been a cat’s paw for Russian intelligence in such meddling, and that he had laundered unflattering stories about Biden through important US officials, including some close to President Trump. The investigators last week may have been looking for evidence that Giuliani was a knowing part of Derkach’s circle, serving this cause.
