President Donald Trump is reportedly taking out his frustrations on his personal attorney and longtime friend, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
And he’s doing it in the classic Trump fashion: by refusing to pay him.
The Washington Post said Trump is trying to stiff Giuliani, who has spent the past months travelling the country and spreading wild conspiracy theories about the November election on behalf of the president.
Citing two unnamed officials, the newspaper said Trump has not only refused to pay Giuliani’s legal fees but has told aides that all reimbursement requests for travel and other expenses need to go through him.
The Post said Trump was unhappy with Giuliani’s demand for $20,000 a day in fees and “has privately expressed concern” with some of his attorney’s moves.
The former mayor last year denied seeking that specific amount, claiming a much more unusual fee structure instead.
“I never asked for $20,000,” he told The New York Times in November. “The arrangement is we’ll work it out at the end.”
The Times on Wednesday confirmed the latest Post report, adding that White House officials were blocking Giuliani’s calls to Trump.
Giuliani last week demanded “trial by combat” during a rally in Washington as Congress met to certify the election results that he had been challenging in courts on behalf of Trump, who later urged the crowd at the rally to march on the Capitol.
Shortly after, the Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a deadly siege that disrupted the congressional proceedings for hours and forced lawmakers into hiding as the mob ransacked the building.
The president’s critics on Twitter took note of his growing feud with his attorney: