Giuliani Withdraws From Jan. 6 Committee Interview

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A spokesman for the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol says Rudy Giuliani, who led Donald Trump's court efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, has withdrawn from an interview that was scheduled to take place Friday.

Committee spokesman Tim Mulvey released a statement to multiple media outlets Thursday night saying: "Mr. Giuliani had agreed to participate in a transcribed interview with the Select Committee. Today, he informed committee investigators that he wouldn't show up unless he was permitted to record the interview, which was never an agreed-upon condition."

Mulvey continued: "Mr. Giuliani is an important witness to the conspiracy to overthrow the government and he remains under subpoena. If he refuses to comply the committee will consider all enforcement options."

Giuliani's attorney, Robert Costello, told CNN that even though Friday's meeting is off, talks between the two sides continue.

In January the committee issued subpoenas to Giuliani and other members of Trump's legal team who filed bogus legal challenges to the 2020 election that fueled the lie that race had been stolen from the former president.

Giuliani also spoke at the rally in front of the White House that preceded the Jan. 6 insurrection. Like Trump, he suggested the certification of Biden's victory was an existential crisis for the country and used rhetoric that alluded to violence.

"Let's have trial by combat," Giuliani said. "I'm willing to stake my reputation, the President is willing to stake his reputation, on the fact that we're going to find criminality there."