Giuliani in talks to cooperate with Jan. 6 committee

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Rudolph Giuliani, the attorney and former adviser to President Donald Trump, is in discussions with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and may agree to answer their questions, according to an exclusive New York Times report published late Saturday.

Those negotiations could still fall apart, and it's unclear how much information Giuliani could provide, three people briefed on the matter told the Times.

However, Giuliani indicated through his lawyer that he's less hostile to investigative efforts than some of the other members of Trump's circle. Giuliani's cooperation, if substantive, could provide a major breakthrough.

One unnamed source told the Times that Giuliani was discussing whether to give investigators a formal deposition or an informal interview. He may also seek to block some information from questioning by invoking attorney-client privilege with Trump.

The House panel subpoenaed Giuliani last month, alongside three other Trump aides -- attorneys Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, and former campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn.

"The select committee is looking into the causes that contributed to the violence on Jan. 6 including attempts to promote unsupported claims of election fraud and pressure campaigns to overturn the 2020 election results," Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement at the time.

"The four individuals we've subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former president about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes."

Previous reports indicate that Giuliani was a key player in a plan to seize voting machines in the weeks after the election using the Department of Homeland Security. He reportedly called the DHS acting deputy secretary at Trump's behest.

He also faces a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which states that Giuliani spread baseless claims that the company attempted to help Joseph Biden steal the 2020 election.

Giuliani's more amenable stance toward investigators would set him apart from several other key witnesses, some of whom could offer the House panel a clearer picture of Trump's actions and mindset leading up to and during the effort to overturn the 2020 election.

Former White House aide Steven Bannon was indicted late last year after refusing to cooperate with congressional investigators; Mark Meadows, Trump's previous chief of staff, was referred to the Justice Department for possible criminal charges after refusing an interview.

Over the course of its Jan. 6 investigation, the House panel has interviewed around 500 witnesses and issued more than 100 subpoenas, the Times reports, and at least 18 Trump allies have signaled that they won't cooperate. Investigators may grant immunity to crucial witnesses in an attempt to pressure them to testify.