Giuliani now a target of Atlanta-area Trump probe, attorney says

Atlanta-area prosecutors informed Rudy Giuliani that he is now a target of the investigation of Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, Giuliani attorney Robert Costello confirmed Monday.

The former New York mayor had been slated to appear before the grand jury this week and it’s unclear whether that appearance will proceed. But the change in designation, which was communicated to Giuliani’s attorneys by special prosecutor Nathan Wade, Costello said, suggests the DA is strongly considering bringing charges against Giuliani for his involvement in the effort.

Prior to the updated designation, prosecutors had described Giuliani as a “material witness” and fought to compel his appearance before the Fulton County grand jury, where District Attorney Fani Willis is leading a probe that is deeply focused on Trump’s inner circle. Last week, a Fulton County Superior Court judge ordered Giuliani to testify before the panel on Aug. 18.

The Fulton DA’s office declined to comment on the development.

The development is the latest indication of the increasingly acute legal threats facing Trump and his top allies. While Trump has spent the past week under intense scrutiny for maintaining boxes of highly classified records at his Mar-a-Lago resort, federal investigators continue to probe his effort to overturn the 2020 election, and Atlanta-area prosecutors are doing the same, with a focus on his efforts to pressure Georgia officials to reverse his defeat.

Last month, Willis also informed 16 Trump supporters and state GOP officials who signed certificates claiming to be qualified presidential electors that they were also targets of the probe. Giuliani was among the Trump allies who spearheaded the effort in multiple states to designate “alternate” presidential electors, part of a bid to subvert the election when the process reached Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.

Earlier Monday, a federal judge in Georgia ruled that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) could not quash a subpoena to testify before the grand jury, rejecting his claim that he’s constitutionally immune to investigators’ demands. Graham said he intends to appeal the ruling.

Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.