New York Post

Giuliani’s smoke-filled room

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IF you want to know what Rudy Giuliani’s up to behind the scenes — just hang out at the Grand Havana Room cigar bar.

The former mayor was at the stogie spot amid hubbub over his boss’ impeachmen­t, telling pals loudly that he’s launching a new podcast.

President Trump’s personal lawyer was spotted at the Grand Havana Room at 666 Fifth Ave. “holding court with a big crew. Huge smile on his face, laughing. You could literally see CNN and Fox News on the TVs behind him as everything was unfolding,” said a witness.

The podcast would only up Giuliani’s already-ubiquitous media presence. He’s been on the offensive defending Trump from accusation­s included in a whistleblo­wer’s report that the president repeatedly pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate with Giuliani and investigat­e allegation­s of corruption against Hunter Biden.

Said our source: “He was announcing to everyone he is launching a new podcast! He was shouting it to the world.”

Rudy is a regular at the members-only cigar bar, and a member of its board.

During the Mueller investigat­ion in December, Page Six reported that he was seen at the same spot, with sources telling us he was talking about the case as well as the sentencing of Michael Flynn. Other regulars at the venue, housed in a building owned by Jared Kushner’s firm, include Al Sharpton and Alec Baldwin.

There was also speculatio­n that Rudy was at the same cigar bar drinking before a particular­ly explosive 2018 interview with Sean Hannity, though he claimed he thought he went there after. (He insisted to Politico at the time, “You’d have 50 gossip columns on Page Six with the scrutiny I get in New York.”)

Either way, he met his ex Judith at a cigar bar, Club Macanudo, and court papers filed in their divorce trial claimed he had spent $12,012 on cigars in five months.

Giuliani didn’t get back to us.

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