FBI warned Giuliani, key Trump ally in Senate of Russian disinformation campaign targeting Biden
Source: WaPo
The FBI warned Rudolph W. Giuliani in late 2019 that he was the target of a Russian influence operation aimed at circulating falsehoods intended to damage President Biden politically ahead of last years election, according to people familiar with the matter.
The warning was part of an extensive effort by the bureau to alert members of Congress and at least one conservative media outlet, One America News, that they faced a risk of being used to further Russias attempt to influence the elections outcome, said several current and former U.S. officials. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter remains highly sensitive.
Giuliani received the FBIs warning while deeply involved with former president Donald Trumps 2020 reelection campaign and related activities in Ukraine to surface unflattering or incriminating information about the Biden family. The revelation comes as the FBI this week seized Giulianis cellphone and other electronic devices as part of a long-running criminal investigation into whether the onetime New York
The warning, made by counterintelligence agents, was separate from the Justice Departments ongoing criminal probe, but it reflects a broader concern by U.S. intelligence and federal investigators that Giuliani among other influential Americans and U.S. institutions was being manipulated by the Russian government to promote its interests and that he appears to have brazenly disregarded such fears.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/rudy-giuliani-fbi-warning-russia/2021/04/29/5db90f96-a84e-11eb-bca5-048b2759a489_story.html