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A28 u.s. news
Diabierna 30 aPriL 2021

Feds raid Giuliani's home, office, escalating criminal probe

NEW YORK (AP) — Fed- Department spokesperson
eral agents raided Rudy did not immediately respond
Giuliani's Manhattan to a request for comment.
home and office Wednes- The U.S. Attorney's office
day, seizing computers in Manhattan and the FBI's
and cellphones in a ma- New York office declined to
jor escalation of the Jus- comment.
tice Department's inves-
tigation into the business The federal probe into Gi-
dealings of former Presi- uliani's Ukraine dealings
dent Donald Trump's per- stalled last year because of a
sonal lawyer. dispute over investigative tac-
tics as Trump unsuccessfully
Giuliani, the 76-year-old for- sought a second term. Giu-
mer New York City mayor liani subsequently took on a
once celebrated for his lead- leading role in disputing the
ership after 9/11, has been election results on the Re-
under federal scrutiny for publican's behalf.
several years over his ties to
Ukraine. The dual searches Giuliani's lawyer, Robert
sent the strongest signal yet Costello, said the warrants
that he could eventually face involved an allegation that
federal charges. Giuliani failed to register as
a foreign agent and that in-
Agents searched Giuliani's vestigative documents men-
Madison Avenue apartment she is not a target of the in- rupt double standard," invok- great patriot." "It's very, very tioned John Solomon, a for-
and Park Avenue office, peo- vestigation. ing allegations he's pushed unfair," he said of what hap- mer columnist and frequent
ple familiar with the inves- against prominent Demo- pened Wednesday. "Rudy Fox News commentator with
tigation told The Associated The full scope of the inves- crats, and said that the Justice loves this country so much, close ties to Giuliani, who
Press. The warrants, which tigation is unclear, but it at Department was "running it is so terrible when you see pushed baseless or unsub-
required approval from the least partly involves Giuliani's rough shod over the consti- things that are going on in stantiated allegations involv-
top levels of the Justice De- dealings in Ukraine, law en- tutional rights of anyone in- our country with the corrup- ing Ukraine and Biden dur-
partment, signify that pros- forcement officials have told volved in, or legally defend- tion and the problems and ing the 2020 election.
ecutors believe they have the AP. ing, former President Donald then they go after Rudy Giu-
probable cause that Giuliani J. Trump." liani." The issue was widely ex-
committed a federal crime — The people discussing the pected to be revisited by the
though they do not guarantee searches and Wednesday's de- "Mr. Giuliani respects the White House press secretary Justice Department once At-
that charges will materialize. velopments could not do so law, and he can demonstrate Jen Psaki said Thursday on torney General Merrick Gar-
publicly and spoke to the AP that his conduct as a lawyer CNN that the White House land assumed office, given
A third search warrant was on condition of anonymity. and a citizen was absolutely was given no heads' up on the the need for the department's
served on a phone belonging News of the search was first legal and ethical," the state- fact the raid was coming. The upper echelons to sign off on
to Washington lawyer Victo- reported by The New York ment said. Justice warrants served on lawyers.
ria Toensing, a former fed- Times. Garland was confirmed last
eral prosecutor and close ally Trump told Fox Business on Giuliani's son, Andrew Giu- month, and Deputy Attorney
of Giuliani and Trump. Her In a statement issued through Thursday that Giuliani was liani, told reporters the raids General Lisa Monaco was
law firm issued a statement his lawyer, Giuliani accused "the greatest mayor in the were "disgusting" and "ab- confirmed to her position
saying she was informed that federal authorities of a "cor- history of New York" and "a solutely absurd." A Justice and sworn in last week.

US recovery from pandemic recession is showing momentum

WASHINGTON (AP) — their jobs and businesses. — last week reached its low- spending has surged, manu- riod could reach a 10% an-
Powered by consumers est point since the pandemic facturing output is up and nual pace or more, driven by
and fueled by government The economy grew last quar- struck. And the National consumer confidence has a surge in people traveling,
aid, the U.S. economy ter at a vigorous 6.4% an- Association of Realtors said reached its highest point shopping, dining out and
is achieving a remark- nual rate, the government Thursday that more Ameri- since the pandemic began. otherwise resuming their
ably fast recovery from said Thursday, and expec- cans signed contracts to buy The renewed strength in the spending habits.
the recession that ripped tations are that the current homes in March, reflecting United States — the largest
through the nation last quarter will be even better. a strong housing market as economy — is helping lead A major reason for the bright-
year on the heels of the The number of people seek- summer approaches. the developed world out of ening expectations is the
coronavirus and cost tens ing unemployment aid — a recession. record-level federal spend-
of millions of Americans rough reflection of layoffs Economists say that wide- ing that is poised to flow into
spread vaccinations and de- For all the U.S. economy's the economy. A $1.9 trillion
clining viral cases, the re- gains, it still has a long way package that President Joe
opening of more businesses, to go. Biden got through Congress
a huge infusion of federal aid in March provided, among
and healthy job gains should By contrast, job cuts have other rescue aid, $1,400
help sustain steady growth. fallen heavily on low-wage stimulus payments to most
For 2021 as a whole, they ex- workers, racial minorities adults. On top of that, Biden
pect the economy to expand and people without col- is proposing two additional
around 7%, which would lege educations. In addition, huge spending plans: a $2.3
mark the fastest calendar- many women, especially trillion infrastructure pack-
year growth since 1984. working mothers, have had age and a $1.8 trillion invest-
to leave the workforce to care ment in children, families
In March, U.S. employers for children. and education that the presi-
added 916,000 jobs — the dent promoted Wednesday
biggest burst of hiring since Some economists say growth night in his first address to a
August. Meantime, retail in the current April-June pe- joint session of Congress.