Top Washington criminal defense lawyers, both Democrats and Republicans, told me they couldn’t understand what Giuliani was trying to achieve with his TV appearance.

“Any defense lawyer would advise their client in an investigation not to discuss testimony with other people involved in the investigation in order to avoid the risk of obstruction or suborning perjury charges,” said a Republican attorney who spoke on condition of anonymity because he works with the Trump administration and doesn’t want to offend them.

“Rudy is the gift that keeps on creating issues that do not otherwise exist. He should have taken the Mueller statement [denying the BuzzFeed story], embraced it and not said another word,” said a prominent criminal defense lawyer, who requested not to be identified because he’s active in Robert Mueller’s investigation.