Former Giuliani law firm rejects his statements

President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, abruptly resigns from his law firm, the firm announces, then promptly undercuts his statements defending the president.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, abruptly resigned from his law firm, Greenberg Traurig, the firm announced Thursday, then promptly undercut his recent statements defending the president.

Giuliani, 73, had taken a leave of absence last month from the firm, one of the nation’s largest, to represent Trump. But the firm said in a statement he no longer worked there.

Firm partners had chafed over Giuliani’s public comments about payments that another of Trump’s lawyers, Michael Cohen, made to secure the silence of a pornographic film actress who said she had an affair with Trump.

The president has denied her allegations.

Giuliani suggested that such payments were common at his firm, even without the knowledge of the clients.

“That was money that was paid by his lawyer, the way I would do, out of his law firm funds,” he said on Fox News. “Michael would take care of things like this like I take care of this with my clients.”

The New York Times asked Greenberg Traurig about those remarks early this week.

Shortly after Giuliani’s resignation was announced, the firm responded.

“We cannot speak for Mr. Giuliani with respect to what was intended by his remarks,” said a spokeswoman, Jill Perry. “Speaking for ourselves, we would not condone payments of the nature alleged to have been made or otherwise without the knowledge and direction of a client.”

Trump has publicly denied knowing about the payments as they were made.

Giuliani said the president reimbursed Cohen for them, an arrangement he said was routine.

Giuliani had to walk back many of his comments.

In the statement, Greenberg Traurig said Giuliani had resigned effective Wednesday.

Giuliani said in the statement that it “is in everyone’s best interest that I make it a permanent resignation” so he can focus on the special counsel’s investigation.