Transcript: Rudy Giuliani on "Face the Nation," April 7, 2019
The following is a transcript of the interview with Rudy Giuliani that aired Sunday, April 7, 2019, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're going to turn now to President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani who is here with me. Would you like to respond to the congressman who says he has the right and the committee has the right for all of this information. Do you agree that the public has the right?
RUDY GIULIANI: I- I would like him to get all the information.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Including the things that are protected--
GIULIANI: Everything.
MARGARET BRENNAN: --grand jury material.
GIULIANI: But I can't control that, and I can't change the law. And the attorney general has a difficult job, and I didn't appreciate his suggestion the attorney general would be biased. I know Bill Barr for many many years. I think people in this town know him. He's a man of the highest integrity. Also everything he's doing is also being run by Rod Rosenstein. That- that report was put out by Barr and Rosenstein.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The- the four page summary?
GIULIANI: Rosenstein started the investigation, supervised the investigation allowed the special counsel to do things that I thought were kind of off base. He certainly gave them full scope to do their entire investigation. There'd be no reason why Rod Rosenstein would sign his name to something that says they found no evidence of collusion. No evidence of obstruction. They couldn't reach a conclusion on obstruction.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
GIULIANI: So then Rosenstein and Barr did no obstruction. I- I guarantee you except for little quibbles, I'm not worried about the report at all. There's no way those two good lawyers would have written that kind of letter if there's any issue.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Is the president waiving all executive privilege? I mean he said publicly he thinks this report should be made public?
GIULIANI: The- the president's cooperation with this investigation it was unprecedented. Bill Clinton fought every single subpoena. And- and it was a knock down drag out battle.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But then he did ultimately sit down and do it.
GIULIANI: That's why he had to--
MARGARET BRENNAN: The president never did, though.
GIULIANI: That's why the president didn't have to because they couldn't win in court. They had every piece of information. They couldn't suggest a question they didn't have the answer to because we supplied him with the answers to everything and the president did answer questions in writing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So I want to ask you about that, but to be clear here, is the president waiving all executive privilege?
GIULIANI: As far as I know, he has. But he can't waive all executive privilege. There are also other people that have executive privilege that are involved--
MARGARET BRENNAN: So there will be information withheld from this report?
GIULIANI: I don't know, Margaret. I don't know. The attorney general has said he's going to put out the maximum amount of information possible. The only thing that will stop him will be legal barriers. I hope there are a few because I don't like what Jerry Nadler just did. Innuendo and there must be more- look. Jerry Nadler prejudged this case a year ago. He was- he was talking about impeachment. He was overheard on Amtrak talking about impeachment well before the report came out. So when he talks about the attorney general being biased, my goodness, and on his committee he's got some of the most rabid people that hate Trump. This is- we're not going before a court here. We're going before a political body--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well do you- do you fear that--
GIULIANI: --that is highly partisan and has made up its mind.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You've- you and the president have welcomed the four page summary. Do you think that the 400 page report is going to be more damaging?
GIULIANI: No. I don't think so.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you- when you say you--
GIULIANI: I'll give you another reason I don't think that--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --you support the disclosure though.
GIULIANI: --when- when the leakers--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Will the president tell the attorney general to make all this public?
GIULIANI: President has left it to the attorney general. President can't make the decisions about--
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you just said he's not decided on executive privilege yet.
GIULIANI: The president has told the attorney general, has told everybody, the world, "I am comfortable with everything being released." Now the president can't change the law. Now the attorney general has to apply that. He is- he wants to do maximum transparency. I'm sure we'll get just about all of it. I hope we get all of it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you think then that the interview that the president didn't sit for but provided written answers to will you make those answers public if you support full transparency?
GIULIANI: I'm not going to make anything public. The attorney general will make it public if he believes it should be made public.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well can't the president decide to make his own answers public?
GIULIANI: Once it's all over, maybe. Let's see what the attorney general does first. Why don't we wait until the attorney general files the report and then if we want to complain about it we can complain about it. I have another- I have another--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you confident there will be no evidence of obstruction of justice--
GIULIANI: I'm going to show you why--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --in these 400 pages?
GIULIANI: I'm going to show you why I'm confident there'll be no evidence of anything really bad because the leakers- and Nadler was wrong about that too- the Mueller- Mueller group has been leaking all along. How did CNN end up at Roger Stone's raid?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well they have their own explanation as to good reporting there.
GIULIANI: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But for 22 months, you have to acknowledge the special counsel's office--
GIULIANI: Hell no.
MARGARET BRENNAN: --did not leak.
GIULIANI: Hell no. I got plenty of, "they're saying this, they're saying that." They knew all about our battle over questions--
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you like--
GIULIANI: --they knew about the positions we took.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But- but you're- you're impugning their credibility and their contact. But you are actually accepting and supporting their conclusions--
GIULIANI: Far more credible. Yes, because--
MARGARET BRENNAN: That's a bit contradictory.
GIULIANI: No, it's not at all Margaret. He was cleared--
MARGARET BRENNAN: You're accusing them of bias but you agree with their conclusions.
GIULIANI: That's because there is no evidence. If- if they could have found anything, if Andrew Weissman who was crying at Hillary Clinton's losing party, couldn't find anything. If Ms Rhee who was counsel to the Clinton Foundation couldn't find anything, believe me, there was nothing there. And they tried to make things up. They put so much pressure on people, keeping them in solid confinement.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Republicans shouldn't be pushing back on full disclosure of the report.
GIULIANI: No Republican's pushing back on full disclosure of the report. I haven't heard any Republican that isn't in favor of full disclosure.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well in terms of- Jerry Nadler's making an argument--
GIULIANI: Jerry Nadler is making a--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --on different grounds--
GIULIANI: --is making a phony--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --of constitutional oversight.
GIULIANI: He's making a phony argument. Jerry Nadler can't change the law. The law is the law. The attorney has to apply the law. Jerry Nadler is a biased, completely predetermined-- does- does he want us to believe that he's going to give us a fair hearing?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Should- do you think--
GIULIANI: He announce- He announced--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --do you think- he just said that he wants--
GIULIANI: --some of his members have announced a year ago that he should be impeached.
MARGARET BRENNAN: He just said he wants to have perhaps some of the investigators come before his committee and answer questions. Do you support that?
GIULIANI: Why for a political show?
MARGARET BRENNAN: No but it--
GIULIANI: Why?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Why not? They have oversight.
GIULIANI: We-we- Mueller--
MARGARET BRENNAN: If some people in the Justice Department did think the president committed obstruction of justice, shouldn't they be heard out? And if there's nothing to it--
GIULIANI: Well--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --why not allow it?
GIULIANI: Can we listen to the report first? The four leakers or the leakers who leaked to The New York Times that there are problems in the report. Did you notice a leak no specific? I can't imagine that the reporter didn't ask. Give- give me an example--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well--
GIULIANI: Give me an example of something in the report that suggests that the President obstructed justice.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Some have argued that--
GIULIANI: No examples--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --it's almost forcing Barr's hand though to follow through and not keep that public--
GIULIANI: Oh- oh--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --but private.
GIULIANI: These people who hate him- that we're willing to commit close to a criminal act to say there are bad things in the report, if they have some dynamite they're not going to give it to the guy?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Is the president--
GIULIANI: I can't--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Is the president considering a pardon for Michael Flynn?
GIULIANI: President is not considering pardons at this time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And he wouldn't for Michael Flynn?
GIULIANI: You mean ever ever ever in the whole history of his presidency?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Have you not discussed it?
GIULIANI: How do I know?
MARGARET BRENNAN: You haven't discussed it?
GIULIANI: Yes we discussed it at the very beginning and decided the whole question of pardons would be put off.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On Michael Cohen, you just heard Chairman Nadler there talk about the offer that was made by Cohen's attorneys to come in and provide some of this information.
GIULIANI: Yeah that's pretty hilarious.
MARGARET BRENNAN: They have text messages. Apparently recordings according to the attorney. What is on this?
GIULIANI: If- if Jerry Nadler wants to convince me he's interested in the truth then he should be recommending a prosecution of Cohen for his last appearance before the Congress when he lied about--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well he is going to jail.
GIULIANI: No no no--
MARGARET BRENNAN: He's going to prison for that--
GIULIANI: Wait- wait--
MARGARET BRENNAN: But are you confident though that--
GIULIANI: Just be--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --Cohen doesn't have damaging information--
GIULIANI: Margaret. Margaret--
MARGARET BRENNAN: on these millions of- of bytes he claims he has?
GIULIANI: --he's going to jail but after he got convicted of that and after he promised to cooperate and tell the truth he went before Congress and he made a fool out of the committee. He was asked, "did you have ever- did you ever ask for a job? He said, "No I never asked for a job." Yes he asked for a job. He asked me to get him a job. He asked 100 other people to get him a job and there is a tape, contemporaneous tape, with Chris Cuomo in which he says I want to be chief of staff and Cumo says, "good luck Mike. I hope you get it." Direct absolute perjury trying to make himself look like he's not a disgruntled office seeker--
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you don't think he has--
GIULIANI: --material information.
MARGARET BRENNAN: --anything damaging to the president in all these recordings he claims to have.
GIULIANI: No I have, I have no I have no confidence that these people care about the truth, Chairman Cummings told him--
MARGARET BRENNAN: But as to what Cohen has--
GIULIANI: Please. Chairman Cummings told Cohen when he started this testimony very dramatically, "If you lie-" I don't know if you said I'll hang you to a cross or I'll throw the book at you or- I haven't seen him throw anything at him. He lied about a job he lied about a pardon he lied about foreign representation he lied about three others things--
MARGARET BRENNAN: I'm still not getting an answer on that question of whether you think there's damaging information that Cohen has. We have to leave the interview here.
GIULIANI: Cohen has already spilled his guts so you don't think he has anything.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you don't think he has anything?
GIULIANI: He has--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Alright.
GIULIANI: --nothing at all incriminating on-- Here's the disappointing thing for Jerry Nadler--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. Mayor, we have to leave it at that--
GIULIANI: And all the- all the Democrats, the president did nothing wrong.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. Mayor--
GIULIANI: They're chasing him, harassing him. This is a total political endeavor now. If we put out that whole report or almost all of it and it clears the president, they should not be continuing this investigation. It's a political witch hunt.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Alright. Mr. Mayor thank you very much.
GIULIANI: Thank you.