“Cut a deal and save yourself”
Based solely on what’s already publicly available, there’s more than enough evidence to criminally indict Rudy Giuliani on federal charges for his role in Donald Trump’s Ukraine scandal. That’s not just our take, it’s also the professional opinion of former federal prosecutors Barbara McQuade and Joyce Vance.
Vance and McQuade have published a lengthy treatise that they’ve termed a “thought experiment” when it comes to Rudy Giuliani’s legal prospects in the Ukraine scandal. You should read the whole thing if you have the time, but if you don’t, suffice it to say that Rudy is screwed. Moreover, Rudy is so screwed, even his addled mind should be able to figure out that he’s screwed. Former FBI Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi posted the Vance-McQuade article and added this advice of his own: “Dear Rudy; Cut a deal and save yourself.”
So where does this get us? If Attorney General Bill Barr were in position to sabotage this particular SDNY investigation, one would think that he’d have done it before Rudy Giuliani’s co-conspirators Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were arrested. After all, at this point, it would be pretty difficult to make the whole thing go away. This means Rudy is going to be indicted and arrested. Even if Trump were to pardon Rudy on federal charges, which is far from a given, New York would surely then hit Rudy with state charges which can’t be pardoned.
The bottom line is that Rudy Giuliani is going to prison, likely for the rest of his life, unless he cuts a cooperating plea deal with the SDNY against Donald Trump. The longer Rudy drags things out, the less leverage he may have in terms of the leniency of the deal he can get. If Rudy had any sense left, which he apparently doesn’t, he’d cut a deal right now.
