Giuliani criticizes Romanian anti-corruption crackdown in open letter: report

President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, wrote a letter to Romania’s president criticizing the country’s anti-corruption efforts, according to a report from The New York Times.

In the open letter dated Aug. 22 to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Giuliani expressed concern about the “continuing damage to the rule of law being done under the guise of effective law enforcement,” according to the Times. 

{mosads}Giuliani said the letter was sent as part of his work for his security company, Giuliani Security & Safety, with the former New York City mayor telling the Times he was “still an independent lawyer and consultant.”

“It has nothing to do with the U.S. government,” Giuliani also said about the letter to Iohannis. “I advise on security, law enforcement and terrorism in many different countries. Private lawyers for the president have all had private practices.”

The letter appeared to contradict the State Department’s official position on anti-corruption efforts in Romania, Politico reported. 

The State Department declined to comment on Giuliani’s letter, according to Politico.

“Romania until recently has shown considerable progress in combatting corruption and building effective rule of law,” the spokesman was quoted as saying by the news organization. “We encourage Romanians to continue on this path.”

Giuliani’s decision to weigh in on the issue sparked some criticism at home.

“If Rudy Giuliani wants to be Trump’s lawyer and chief spokesman, he should not be taking public foreign policy positions like this on behalf of other paid clients,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said in a statement to Politico.

Long considered one of the most corrupt countries in the European Union, Romania in recent years has convicted thousands of people as part of an effort to strengthen its law enforcement system.

Multiple current and former politicians have been caught in the crosshairs of criminal charges, including the head of the biggest party in the Romanian Parliament, Liviu Dragnea. 

Giuliani in the letter wrote that Romania should give amnesty to those convicted in the crackdown, saying the country’s anticorruption agency is excessive, according to The Times.

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered across Romania at the beginning of August to rally against Dragnea’s party, accusing it of entrenched corruption.