At the conclusion with his interview with Fox News’ Howard Kurtz today, Rudy Giuliani got a little testy that he didn’t have time to bring up Hunter Biden’s work in Romania:
Fox's Howard Kurtz desperately tries to end his interview while Giuliani waves around his iPad and declares "We haven't gotten to Romania yet."
"Wait until we get to Romania!" pic.twitter.com/FVXbYO7STW
— Aidan McLaughlin (@aidnmclaughlin) October 6, 2019
We assume Rudy is referring to this story from the New York Times in May on Hunter’s work with a crooked Romanian real estate magnet:
NEW: HUNTER BIDEN advised a Romanian real estate magnate who was convicted & sentenced to prison over a corrupt land deal at a time that his father's administration & its allies were pushing Romania to clamp-down on corruption. https://t.co/Dv208ssRWF
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) May 21, 2019
Romanian media reported in 2017 HUNTER BIDEN tried to help the embattled real estate mogul (who had just been convicted of corruption), including by making his case before Congress.
No details in report, but Biden hasn't been registered to lobby since '08. https://t.co/SN9tQIRNTW— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) May 21, 2019
HUNTER BIDEN's foreign business bothered his business partner CHRIS HEINZ, who thought it created the appearance of selling influence. When his concerns went unheeded, Heinz (who is @JohnKerry's stepson) began distancing himself from Biden & DEVON ARCHER. https://t.co/Dv208ssRWF
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) May 21, 2019
Now, Giuliani has connections of his own to Romania. Last year, he was criticized for lobbying Romania to ease its crackdown on corruption, which was counter to the official U.S. position:
Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was being paid by a global consulting firm when he sent a letter to the president of Romania last week that contradicted the U.S. government’s official position https://t.co/fTwTR9qyZN
— POLITICO (@politico) August 31, 2018
At the time, Giuliani said his work had “nothing to do with the U.S. government”:
Romania is in the midst of an anticorruption crackdown. Now, Rudy Giuliani has unexpectedly criticized the country's efforts, with a letter that he said had "nothing to do with the U.S. government" https://t.co/aL7y3RrUVj
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 29, 2018
The State Department issued a statement at the time as well:
State Department spokesperson on Giuliani's letter to Romania urging them to lighten up on anti-corruption campaign: "Rudy Giuliani does not speak for the U.S. government on foreign policy.”
— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) August 31, 2018
The Daily Beast reported back in June that House Dems were already looking at Rudy’s Romania ties:
“In addition to Giuliani’s efforts in Ukraine, congressional Democrats are also said to be interested in the trips he has taken to Armenia and Romania.” https://t.co/QzAQguYrua
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) June 7, 2019
And there’s a Trump hotel angle as well:
Some facts:
-Romania’s PM just stayed at the president’s DC hotel
-The president’s lawyer, Rudy G, got paid to criticize an “excessive” anti-corruption campaign in Romania
-Romania's former anti-corruption prosecutor was just banned from travel
Read our Trump Inc buddy ?? https://t.co/DDCTXf86cj
— ProPublica (@propublica) March 29, 2019
Well, there goes next week’s news cycle.
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