Rudy Giuliani's 'electronics seized during NYC apartment search as federal investigators probe him for ties to Ukraine'

RUDY Giuliani's New York City apartment was allegedly raided on Wednesday as federal investigators seized his electronic devices, according to reports.

It marks a step up in the criminal investigation into President Donald Trump’s former attorney's dealings in Ukraine.

The New York Times claims three sources close to the matter confirmed federal investigators carried out a search warrant on the former NYC mayor's Upper East Side home.

A law enforcement official also confirmed the search to the Associated Press.

The United States Attorney’s office in Manhattan and the FBI has been seeking a search warrant for Giuliani's phones for months, the Times reports.

The Justice Department repeatedly sought to block such a warrant under the Donald Trump administration.

The path was reportedly cleared for the search to be carried out after Merrick B. Garland was confirmed as President Joe Biden’s attorney general.

The long-running investigation into Giuliani, a former personal lawyer to Trump, is focused on whether he illegally lobbied the ex-president's administration.

The probe is looking to confirm if Giuliani lobbied on behalf of Ukrainian officials and oligarchs in 2019.

It is also investigating whether these Ukranian officials were helping Giuliani dig for dirt on Trump's rival Joe Biden at the time.

As well as investigating Giuliani's business dealings, the probe is looking at Giuliani's potential role in encouraging the Trump administration to oust the American ambassador to Ukraine.

This issue was the subject of the former president's first impeachment trial in early 2020.

A search warrant is not an indication of any wrongdoing on Giuliani's part.

In order to acquire the warrant, investigators would have needed to convince a judge that there is sufficient evidence that a crime has been committed.

They would also have needed to convince the judge that a search could find more evidence of a crime.

More details on Wednesday's search were not immediately available.

A request for comment from the FBI and US attorney's office was not returned.

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