Dan Abrams Duels With Barbara Comstock on Whether Rudy Giuliani Could Be Indicted

Mediaite founder and ABC News chief legal analyst Dan Abrams sparred with former Republican congresswoman and Justice Department Director of Public Affairs Barbara Comstock Friday over whether President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani could ever be indicted.

“Barbara Comstock, former Republican member of Congress, you worked with the Republicans during the Clinton impeachment trial,” said ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos — ushering in the debate. “This underscores one of the points that Adam Schiff has been making on the floor of the Senate. He says eventually more information is going to come out. Whatever you choose to do, more information is going to come out, and you’re going to be held accountable for that.”

“Well I’m also a former Justice Department alumni, and I think this speaks to the fact that the Trump Justice Department, via the Southern District of New York, is investigating this and is going to continue to be investigating,” declared Comstock. “This is Rudy’s business dealings with these Lev and Igor, and I think there’s going to be a lot more coming out, so regardless of what is expected to be an acquittal, I think this is really separate because it’s going to be what was going on there in the business dealings. The president talked about firing people all the time, so we knew that these guys were at private high dollar receptions. We knew that they talked to him. But I think he just thinks of them as Rudy’s guys.”

Stephanopoulos turned to Abrams — observing that the Southern District is taking the matter seriously. Abrams concurred, but then noted that the buck ultimately stops with Attorney General William Barr.

“Remember, in the end William Barr oversees the Southern District of New York,” Abrams said. He added, When you’re talking about something that so closely impacts the president, I don’t see how William Barr is not involved. And as a result, when people say, ‘Well, you know, Rudy Giuliani is under investigation,’ that may be true but I don’t think there’s a chance that the Southern District of New York is going to indict Rudy Giuliani, because ultimately I think that decision would have to go through Bill Barr… I just don’t think it’s going to happen. So yes, the investigation is ongoing.”

Comstock responded, “I think they’re going to follow the facts where they go and then it will go through the Criminal Division of Justice up through the deputy and the attorney general, but I think the Southern District of New York, I know when I worked there, it usually would move forward.”

“This is a new world,” Abrams noted, as Comstock replied, “People who are there are people who are second term Justice Department.”

“I’m not saying they’re not interested in it,” Abrams explained. “I’m saying that in the end, when it reaches any sort of level of decision-making, that there’s no way Bill Barr is not going to be involved.”

Watch above via ABC News.