Rudy Giuliani: ‘Collusion Is Not a Crime’

In a startling Monday interview with Fox & Friends, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani tried a new strategy in absolving Donald Trump of responsibility for Russian election hacking: Claiming that collusion isn’t illegal. “I have been sitting here looking in the federal code trying to find collusion as a crime,” he said. “Collusion is not a crime.” He continued this narrative on CNN, saying, “I don’t even know if that’s a crime, colluding about Russians.” “The hacking is the crime,” he added. “The president didn’t hack.” This is a departure from Giuliani's previous stance, also articulated on CNN: that there was “no collusion with the Russians.” Trump shares this stance, and has repeatedly labeled the investigation a “witch hunt.” Later, he tweeted that there was “No collusion, no obstruction,” and the president “did nothing wrong.” Although several people have been charged in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, Trump has not been formally accused of any crimes. Hours after his original comments, Giuliani called into Fox & Friends to clarify his statement and realign it with Trump’s, arguing that “My client didn’t do it, and even if he did it, it’s not a crime.”