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Trump asked Tillerson to interfere in DOJ case against Giuliani client: report | TheHill

posted onOctober 10, 2019
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Article snippet: Bloomberg reports. Tillerson refused Trump's 2017 request, saying it would be illegal to interfere with an ongoing investigation. He repeated his stance to then-chief of staff MORE in a hallway conversation in the White House. At the time, Reza Zarrab, the trader in question, was being prosecuted by a New York federal court on charges of evading U.S. sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program, according to Bloomberg. As a result, Zarrab hired Giuliani and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Giuliani reportedly reached out to U.S. officials numerous in attempts to solve his client's situation outside of the court system. The report comes amid growing scrutiny over the president's dealings with foreign leaders, especially in light of a recent whistleblower report that raised concerns over a phone call Trump held in which he pressed Ukraine's president to investigate former Vice President MORE and his son. The scandal has also implicated Giuliani, whose own dealings in Ukraine have drawn the attention of lawmakers in recent weeks. The report also comes shortly after Trump announced he was pulling U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria ahead of an expected Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces there. Presdient Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday that he had formally launched the invasion.   Zarrab's release was reportedly of high priority for Erdogan until the trader decided to cooperate with New York prosecutors. Tillerson has openly said that Trump ask... Link to the full article to read more

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