‘Russians could monitor calls with Giuliani’ – officials
DONALD TRUMP has routinely communicated with his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and other individuals speaking on mobile phones vulnerable to monitoring by Russian and other foreign intelligence services, say current and former US officials.
Phone records released by the House Intelligence Committee revealed extensive communications among Mr Giuliani, unidentified individuals at the White House and others involved in the campaign to pressure Ukraine, with no indication the calls were encrypted or shielded from foreign surveillance.
The revelations raise the possibility Moscow was able to learn about aspects of Mr Trump’s attempt to get Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden, the officials said.
Mr Trump is not identified by name, but investigators said they suspect he may be a person with a blocked number listed as “-1” in the files.
Administration officials said separately Mr Trump has communicated regularly with Mr Giuliani on unsecured lines.
“It happened all the time,” said one former White House official, who noted Mr Giuliani had a range of foreign clients.
The disclosures again suggest the president continues to defy the security guidance urged by his own aides and followed by previous incumbents – a stance that is particularly remarkable given Mr Trump’s attacks on Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign for her use of a private email account while she served as secretary of state.
Insight into Mr Giuliani’s discussions with Mr Trump could enable Moscow to adapt or amplify its propaganda, now widely embraced by Mr Trump’s Republican allies, promoting the baseless claim Ukraine, not Russia, hacked the Democratic National Committee in the 2016 election. (© Washington Post)