President Trump Adds Coral Gables Husband-And-Wife Duo To Legal Team
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WASHINGTON D.C. (CBSMiami) -- Former New York City Mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is joining President Donald Trump's personal legal team along with a husband and wife legal team from Coral Gables, in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
In addition to Giuliani, two former federal prosecutors, Jane Serene Raskin and Marty Raskin, are joining Trump's legal team. The two, who are married and run a law firm together, are based in Coral Gables but handle cases across the United States. Both have extensive experience prosecuting organized crime and representing defendants in complex white-collar and fraud investigations.
"Jane and Marty are highly respected former federal prosecutors with decades of experience. They have a nationwide practice and reputation for excellence and integrity," Trump's personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, said in a statement Thursday.
Some of their cases high-profile white collar cases include representing federal immigration agents suspected of extorting money from drug kingpins, mob suspects, and a contractor tied to the 1996 Valujet plane crash in the Everglades.
Meanwhile, Giuliana has been an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump since the early days of his campaign.
The president has been weighing whether to sit for questioning by Mueller's team in the Russia investigation, and his legal team has repeatedly met with investigators to define the scope of the questions he would face. Giuliani will enter those negotiations, filling the void left by attorney John Dowd, who resigned last month.
It's a precarious time for Trump. His legal team has been told by Mueller that the president is not a target of the investigation, suggesting he's not in imminent criminal jeopardy. But he is currently a subject of the probe — a designation that could change at any time.
In a statement announcing Giuliani's hire, Trump expressed his wish that the investigation wrap up soon and praised Giuliani, a fellow New Yorker, confidant and Mar-a-Lago regular.
"Rudy is great," Trump said. "He has been my friend for a long time and wants to get this matter quickly resolved for the good of the country."
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
