In a wild, bug-eyed interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani claimed he never said there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Said Giuliani: “You just misstated my position. I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign; I have no idea…I said the President of the United States. There is not a single bit of evidence that the President of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC.”
Giuliani also claimed that Trump said “he didn’t” collude with Russia. “He didn’t say nobody,” Giuliani added. “How would you know that nobody in your campaign…”
“He actually did say that, Rudy,”Cuomo spat back. “He said nobody, and then he said, ‘as far as I know.'”
Also, in a tweet from February 2016, Trump claimed: ‘Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong – no collusion!’
Morning Joe‘s Joe Scarborough expressed shock at Giuliani’s change of position: “His eyes bulged after he said that. My eyes just bulged, as well…Rudy Giuliani just told America and the world that Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia, full stop.”
And Seth Meyers mocked Giuliani further: “And then Rudy Giuliani went on CNN to say ‘crime isn’t even illegal.'”
And many are speculating that Rudy’s meltdown is merely signaling that Trump is preparing to throw Donald Jr. or Jared Kushner under the bus on Russia collusion.
Said New York Times reporter Astead Herndon to CNN’s John Berman: “Everyone under [Trump’s] level can now be considered fair game, if we’re talking about the political signaling.”
On Wednesday, Vanity Fair‘s Gabriel Sherman reported that sources close to Giuliani told him that “Rudy thinks it will be soon” that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report will be delivered, and that it will be “horrific” for Trump. Moreover, Giuliani is “very worried about the report” and now “hates” working for Trump.
Sherman added: ‘Complicating matters is the shutdown, which has consumed Trump’s attention. A prominent Republican close to the White House told me that Trump is essentially winging it when it comes to shutdown talks with Democrats. “People are looking around asking, ‘What’s the play call?’” the Republican said. “He’s calling plays from the line of scrimmage.” “This was not played well. He’s in a pickle now, and I don’t see a way out.”’
