Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani distanced attorney Sidney Powell from the president when asked about a reported meeting between the pair.
Giuliani’s comments came after a report suggesting Trump is pushing for Powell to be a special counsel to probe supposed election fraud, which he continues to insist was the reason for his defeat.
Asked on Newsmax about these reports, Giuliani said: “Let me say definitively that Sidney Powell is not part of our legal team. She hasn’t been for five weeks. She is not a special counsel for the president, she does not speak for the president, nor does she speak for the administration. She speaks for herself.
“She’s a fine woman, a fine lawyer, but whatever she is talking about it’s her own opinions. I’m not responsible for them, the president isn’t, nor is anybody else on our legal team.”
The Associated Press reported that Trump had floated the idea of naming Powell as a special counsel to investigate voter fraud, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the meeting held last Friday.
CNN later reported that Powell was seen leaving the White House on Sunday. CNN reported that she denied meeting with the president on that day when asked, then when pressed on if she met him or White House officials said: “It would be none of your business.”
The president continues with election fraud claims despite there being no evidence of widespread irregularities on a scale which could alter the election outcome. The Electoral College has cast its votes, with a majority of 306 going to Joe Biden.
Some Trump allies continue to back his push against the outcome, despite prominent figures such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell having urged lawmakers not to and having congratulated Biden.
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Powell, who previously represented former national security adviser Michael Flynn, appeared at a Trump campaign press conference earlier this year and her messaging on alleged fraud was shared by the official GOP Twitter account.
However, after that the Trump campaign released a statement distancing her from its efforts.
Released in November, a statement attributed to Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, a senior legal adviser to the Trump campaign and attorney to the president, said: “Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump Legal Team. She is also not a lawyer for the president in his personal capacity.”
Powell did not dispute this at the time and said in a statement: “I agree with the campaign’s statement that I am not part of the campaign’s legal team.
“I never signed a retainer agreement or sent the president or the campaign a bill for my expenses or fees. My intent has always been to expose all the fraud I could find and let the chips fall where they may—whether it be upon Republicans or Democrats.”
Despite these statements, prior comments from Trump and his allies had welcomed Powell’s involvement.
Newsweek has contacted the White House, Trump campaign and Powell for further comment.
Rudy Giuliani points to a map as he speaks to the press about various lawsuits related to the 2020 election, inside the Republican National Committee headquarters on November 19, 2020 in Washington, D.C., at a news conference also addressed by Sidney Powell, pictured center. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Powell is reported to have met with the president recently, though his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has again moved to put distance between them.
