Origins of Mueller probe illegtimate: Trump lawyer

Washington, May 28: Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has defended the US President’s political attacks against special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible Russian collusion, suggesting that the origins of the probe were illegitimate, the media reported. Asked during a CNN interview on Sunday whether there was a larger strategy to undermine the investigation at play, Giuliani said he “couldn’t do it if they didn’t have the material”.

The lawyer also suggested that the start of the Mueller probe was illegitimate, citing fired FBI Director James Comey’s leaked memos and a lack of evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia. “You get the Comey thing, which is the leak of a confidential memo, which is illegal for an FBI official to do. I’m not saying Mueller is illegitimate. I’m saying the basis on which he was appointed was illegitimate,” Giuliani remarked. Asked whether the Mueller probe was legitimate now, Giuliani told CNN “not anymore”, citing reports of an FBI informant within the Trump campaign as one of the reasons for its discrediting. (IANS)