Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Giuliani on Hazards of Trump Interview: 'Truth Isn't Truth'
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
August 20, 2018

Share

WASHINGTON — “Truth isn’t truth,” says President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, explaining why he’s wary about pushing the president into an interview that he says could be a perjury trap.

“I am not going to be rushed into having him testify so that he gets trapped into perjury. And when you tell me that, you know, he should testify because he’s going to tell the truth and he shouldn’t worry, well, that’s so silly because it’s somebody’s version of the truth. Not the truth.” — Rudy Giuliani, attorney for President Trump
Giuliani’s statement is reminiscent of a comment from another Trump aide last year about “alternative facts.”
Giuliani used the line “truth isn’t truth” Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Chuck Todd. He was trying to make the case that having Trump sit down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team wouldn’t accomplish much because of the he-said-she-said nature of witnesses’ recollections.
The ex-New York mayor cited as an example former FBI Director James Comey, who has said that Trump pushed him at a private meeting to ease up in the federal investigation of former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump has disputed that.
“I am not going to be rushed into having him testify so that he gets trapped into perjury,” Giuliani said. “And when you tell me that, you know, he should testify because he’s going to tell the truth and he shouldn’t worry, well, that’s so silly because it’s somebody’s version of the truth. Not the truth.”
When Todd replied: “Truth is truth,” Giuliani responded: “No, it isn’t truth. Truth isn’t truth. . Donald Trump says, ‘I didn’t talk about Flynn with Comey.’ Comey says, ‘You did talk about it,’ so tell me what the truth is.”
The comments left Todd flummoxed, but not Comey. The former FBI chief tweeted: “Truth exists and truth matters. Truth has always been the touchstone of our country’s justice system and political life. People who lie are held accountable. If we are untethered to truth, our justice system cannot function and a society based on the rule of law dissolves.”
Trump and his aides have been accused of spreading lies and disinformation. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway famously referred to such claims early last year as “alternative facts.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

LA Dodgers Pledge $1 Million to Support Families Impacted by ICE Raids

DON'T MISS

Pakistan to Nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

DON'T MISS

Vance, in Los Angeles, Says Troops Need to Stay, Blasts Newsom Over Immigration

DON'T MISS

Nuclear Diplomacy Stuck, Israel Says It Killed Top Iran Commander

DON'T MISS

Mahmoud Khalil Vows to Resume Pro-Palestinian Activism After Release From US Jail

DON'T MISS

Trump Says He Wants to Fund More Trade Schools. Just Not These.

DON'T MISS

Two Days of Terror: How the Minnesota Shooter Evaded Police and Got Caught

DON'T MISS

B-2 Bombers Moving to Guam Amid Middle East Tensions, US Officials Say

DON'T MISS

Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief

DON'T MISS

Bentley the Porch-Crasher Pup Hopes for a Forever Home

UP NEXT

Voice of America Parent Terminates Over 600 More Staff in Likely Death Knell

UP NEXT

US Court Lets Trump Keep Control of California National Guard for Now

UP NEXT

Massive Security Breach: 16 Billion Passwords Leaked From Apple, Google, Facebook Accounts

UP NEXT

Hunger Strike Begins as California Prisons Hand Down Biggest Restrictions Since COVID

UP NEXT

Musk Shares Negative Drug Test Results, Challenges Media Outlets

UP NEXT

Hurricane Erick Threatens Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Rapid Strengthening Expected

UP NEXT

More US Officials Face Threats as Fears Grow Over Political Violence

UP NEXT

Protester Killed at Utah ‘No Kings’ Rally Was Fashion Designer From ‘Project Runway’

UP NEXT

‘We Will Kill You Dead’: Florida Sheriff’s Stark Warning to Demonstrators

UP NEXT

Here’s What to Expect at the Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade on Trump’s Birthday

Nuclear Diplomacy Stuck, Israel Says It Killed Top Iran Commander

31 minutes ago

Mahmoud Khalil Vows to Resume Pro-Palestinian Activism After Release From US Jail

38 minutes ago

Trump Says He Wants to Fund More Trade Schools. Just Not These.

41 minutes ago

Two Days of Terror: How the Minnesota Shooter Evaded Police and Got Caught

45 minutes ago

B-2 Bombers Moving to Guam Amid Middle East Tensions, US Officials Say

47 minutes ago

Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief

50 minutes ago

Bentley the Porch-Crasher Pup Hopes for a Forever Home

5 hours ago

The Secret to Finding the Best Travel Bargains

6 hours ago

This Fresno Family Had Six Graduations, Ranging From Pre-K to High School

7 hours ago

Amazon’s Prime Day 2025 Levels Up With Four Days of Deals Starting July 8

7 hours ago

LA Dodgers Pledge $1 Million to Support Families Impacted by ICE Raids

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have committed $1 million toward direct financial assistance for families of immigrants impacted...

20 minutes ago

Oct 24, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the centerfield plaza during media prior to game one of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images/File Photo
20 minutes ago

LA Dodgers Pledge $1 Million to Support Families Impacted by ICE Raids

President Donald Trump talks to reporters upon his arrival at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, U.S., June 20, 2025. (Reuters File)
23 minutes ago

Pakistan to Nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

U.S. Vice President JD Vance greets U.S. Marines at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 20, 2025. (Reuters/Daniel Cole)
27 minutes ago

Vance, in Los Angeles, Says Troops Need to Stay, Blasts Newsom Over Immigration

A fragment falls through the sky after Israel's Iron Dome intercepted a missile launched from Iran towards Israel, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
31 minutes ago

Nuclear Diplomacy Stuck, Israel Says It Killed Top Iran Commander

Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil speaks to media after being released from immigration custody in Jena, Louisiana, U.S. June 20, 2025. (Reuters/Kathleen Flynn)
38 minutes ago

Mahmoud Khalil Vows to Resume Pro-Palestinian Activism After Release From US Jail

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Secretary of Labor, testifies during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Capitol Hill, in Washington, May 15, 2025. The Job Corps program has long been the subject of debate, but it is now also a point of contention in the administration’s efforts to pull back the social safety net. (Al Drago/The New York Times)
41 minutes ago

Trump Says He Wants to Fund More Trade Schools. Just Not These.

Candles and flowers adorn a memorial outside the Minnesota State Capitol following the killing of Democratic state assemblywoman Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., June 18, 2025. (Reuters/Tim Evans)
45 minutes ago

Two Days of Terror: How the Minnesota Shooter Evaded Police and Got Caught

A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber takes off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam January 11, 2018. Picture taken January 11, 2018. (Reuters File)
47 minutes ago

B-2 Bombers Moving to Guam Amid Middle East Tensions, US Officials Say

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend