Ex-New York Mayor joins Trump's legal team
New York, April 20: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will join President Donald Trump's legal team, which is also acquiring two other new members, his attorney, Jay Sekulow said.
Sekulow, who along with attorney Ty Cobb is representing Trump in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, made the announcement after Giuliani confirmed the decision to The Washington Post.
Giuliani, who said he had made the decision last week at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida, joins the legal team that had been reduced to a bare minimum at a key time in the probe, given that Mueller wants to question the president in the very near future, Efe news reported.
According to Sekulow's statement, Trump emphasised the long friendship between him and the Republican ex-mayor, saying "Rudy is great. He has been my friend for a long time and wants to get this matter quickly resolved for the good of the country."
"It is an honour to be a part of such an important legal team, and I look forward to not only working with the President but with Jay, Ty and their colleagues," Giuliani said in a statement.
Sekulow also announced that Jane Serene Raskin and Marty Raskin, whom he described as very respected former federal prosecutors with decades of experience, will also be joining Trump's legal team.
Giuliani's law firm, Greenberg Traurig, said on Thursday that the former mayor will be taking a "leave of absence ... for an unspecified period of time to handle matters unrelated to the law firm or its clients.
Giuliani told the Post that on Thursday he spoke with Trump and Sekulow about the strategy the legal team will pursue, although he said it was too early to say whether the president would agree to be interviewed by Mueller.
The ex-mayor said that his advice regarding Mueller to Trump had been to let the special counsel do his job.
The additions to Trump's legal team come after the March resignation of John Dowd, who had been the president's main lawyer on issues relating to the Russia probe.
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Wine Merchants’ Association alleges corruption in excise dept, Minister Thimmapur refutes charge
Bengaluru, Nov 5: The Karnataka Wine Merchants’ Association has alleged that the Excise Minister R B Thimmapur’s office has collected Rs 16 crore from various excise department officers by transferring them in and around Bengaluru.
While the Minister refuted the allegation, the opposition BJP got new ammunition to target the ruling Congress.
In a letter to the Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Secretary and the Karnataka Lokayukta, the Association alleged that the Minister's office is involved in rampant corruption.
“Huge bribes and money laundering took place in the excise minister office in Bengaluru in transferring excise officers and to control illegal collection of money for election purposes from excise officials,” the letter sent by mail read.
Explaining further, the Association said about Rs 16 crore has been collected on a single day from three deputy commissioners of excise, nine excise superintendents, 13 deputy superintendents of excise and 20 excise inspectors “for transferring in and around Bengaluru from past 2 to 3.5 years, as their tenure was getting completed within a month.”
Naming a deputy commissioner, the letter said the officer was collecting money somewhere between Rs 25 lakh to Rs 40 lakh from each officer for transferring them.
The Association said Rs 2.5 crore to Rs three crore was collected from deputy commissioners (excise) working in Bengaluru.
The association has demanded action against those involved "in this corruption."
“No such thing has happened. You must ask them why they went to pay money. Why would anyone pay if everything is correct?” Thimmapur told reporters at Shiggaon in Haveri district.
He also assured to take action against officers if they have collected money.
“The matter is that when these people (wine merchants) do something wrong then they (officers) harass them. The wine merchants should rectify themselves,” the Minister said.
The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, R Ashoka alleged that there was a Rs 700 crore liquor scam in the state.
“The Karnataka Wine Merchants’ Association in its letter to CM @Siddaramaiah has alleged that State Excise Minister R B Timmapur is involved in blatant extortion and bribery, unfolding another dark episode of the series of scams by 'SCAM'gress Govt in Karnataka,” he said in a post on ‘X’.
He said the Association has alleged that CL7 bar licences were given after collecting a bribe amount of anywhere between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 70 lakh each by the Minister.
In the last one year, 1,000 such illegal licences were given by the excise minister, amounting to Rs 300 crore to Rs 700 crore in corruption, Ashoka alleged.
“After the Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation Scam, MUDA land scam, KIADB land scam, Waqf Scam, this Liquor scam is yet another fresh addition to the series of scams by CM Siddaramaiah led Congress Government in the last 17 months,” the BJP leader alleged.
