U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Thursday sent a letter to State Department Inspector General Steve Linick demanding an expanded investigation into any violations of law or policy by State Department officials related to Rudy Giuliani’s work in to Bahrain, Turkey, or any other country. Harris previously called on Linick to investigate whether any Department of State officials enabled Rudy Giuliani’s efforts in Ukraine to advance President Trump’s political interests. The State Department IG has not yet confirmed or denied whether there is an ongoing investigation into Giuliani’s activities.
According to a recent NBC News report, Giuliani in recent weeks unwittingly called a reporter and left a voicemail. In the voicemail, Giuliani can be heard telling an unidentified associate, “I gotta get you to get on Bahrain.” Further, he can be heard saying, “The problem is we need some money…we need a few hundred thousand.”
“These reports raise a number of serious concerns, especially given allegations that Mr. Giuliani is running a “shadow foreign policy”—namely the president’s apparent scheme to withhold security assistance to Ukraine until its government opened an investigation into baseless claims about former Vice President Biden, his family, and the 2016 election,” wrote Harris.
Harris continued, “I have previously requested that you investigate whether any Department of State officials violated restrictions on engaging in partisan political activities by working with Mr. Giuliani related to Ukraine. In light of these reports, I request that you expand such an investigation to cover any violations of law or policy by Department officials related to Mr. Giuliani’s work related to Bahrain, Turkey, or any other country.”
The full letter is available here and below:
October 31, 2019
The Honorable Steve Linick
Inspector General
U.S. Department of State
Office of the Inspector General
SA-39
1700 North Moore Street
Arlington, VA 22209
Dear Inspector General Linick:
I write again regarding the activities of Mr. Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s close associate and personal lawyer. According to press reports, Mr. Giuliani was recently overheard discussing suspicious financial arrangements in Bahrain and Turkey.
Mr. Giuliani was overheard saying to an associate, “I gotta get you to get on Bahrain.” The full extent of Mr. Giuliani’s connections to Bahrain are unclear, but he reportedly met one-on-one with the King of Bahrain last December. Bahrain’s state news agency described the meeting as a “high-level delegation,” implying that Mr. Giuliani may be inappropriately involved in official U.S. relations with the Government of Bahrain.
In the same conversation, Mr. Giuliani can also be overheard saying, “The problem is we need some money…we need a few hundred thousand” after being told an unidentified “Robert” was in Turkey. Again, while Mr. Giuliani’s meaning was unclear, he has a history of working on behalf of Turkish interests.
These reports raise a number of serious concerns, especially given allegations that Mr. Giuliani is running a “shadow foreign policy”—namely the president’s apparent scheme to withhold security assistance to Ukraine until its government opened an investigation into baseless claims about former Vice President Biden, his family, and the 2016 election.
I have previously requested that you investigate whether any Department of State officials violated restrictions on engaging in partisan political activities by working with Mr. Giuliani related to Ukraine. In light of these reports, I request that you expand such an investigation to cover any violations of law or policy by Department officials related to Mr. Giuliani’s work related to Bahrain, Turkey, or any other country.
Thank you for your prompt attention and response to this important matter.
