The search of Giuliani's house is clearly an escalation of the federal probe given the showing required for a warrant. msn.com/en-us/news/us/… The lobbying and foreign agent claim may turn on the execution of an agreement with Yuriy Lutsenko...
...If Giuliani was lobbying for Lutsenko or the Ukrainians, prosecutors need to establish an agreement or compensation, even delayed compensation to make a credible case. However, seizure of electronic records can also lead to other "discovered" crimes.
The maximum for a FARA violation is a fine of not more than $250,000 or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years. However, most such violations are treated as civil matters or subject to far lower sanctions.
...The reported reference in the warrant to John Solomon, a journalist, raises concerns of both journalist privilege as well as attorney-client privilege (given Giuliani's representation of former President Trump)...
...Those concerns highlights the issue of why pursue a FARA case now. Clearly the DOJ has a policy to avoid affecting elections, but this has been a long-standing dispute. Moreover, Barr's DOJ approved a number of cases targeting Trump figures including Giuliani's aides...
...DOJ will usually use a screening team to deal with privilege questions but the greatest danger for Giuliani may be the discovery of collateral alleged crimes. That is what ultimately sank Paul Manafort...
...One intriguing thought is whether the DOJ delayed any search to reduce the chances that Trump would pardon Giuliani. If this search occurred between the election and the inauguration, Giuliani would have likely pushed for a pardon on that basis.
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