President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani called on the Department of Justice to investigate BuzzFeed News’ sources behind its bombshell report that the president told Michael Cohen to lie in his congressional testimony.

Giuliani also issued rare praise of special counsel Robert Mueller for disputing Thursday’s report, while slamming the media for its “hysterical” response to the story.

“I commend Bob Mueller’s office for correcting the BuzzFeed false story that Pres. Trump encouraged Cohen to lie. I ask the press to take heed that their hysterical desire to destroy this President has gone too far. They pursued this without critical analysis all day,” Giuliani tweeted Friday.



I commend Bob Mueller’s office for correcting the BuzzFeed false story that Pres. Trump encouraged Cohen to lie. I ask the press to take heed that their hysterical desire to destroy this President has gone too far. They pursued this without critical analysis all day. #FAKENEWS — Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) January 19, 2019

“Now the DOJ must reveal the leakers of this false BuzzFeed story which the press and Democrats gleefully embraced. And maybe House Dems should wait to investigate until the Mueller report is filed. 4 have started already.There may be nothing to legitimately investigate,” he said.



Now the DOJ must reveal the leakers of this false BuzzFeed story which the press and Democrats gleefully embraced. And maybe House Dems should wait to investigate until the Mueller report is filed. 4 have started already.There may be nothing to legitimately investigate. — Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) January 19, 2019



BuzzFeed News reported Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations for a Trump Tower project in Moscow. Cohen, who has been interviewed by Mueller's team, pleaded guilty in November to lying to Congress about the proposed building.

The news outlet cited two anonymous federal law enforcement officials in its reporting.

The report said Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump and son Donald Trump Jr. requested that Cohen negotiate the deal and provide regular updates on it during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump then allegedly told Cohen to lie about the timing of the deal. The news outlet reported Mueller’s office learned about Trump’s alleged request through interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization and other company communications and documents.

A spokesman for the special counsel’s office pushed back on the report Friday evening.

“BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate,” Peter Carr said in a statement.

BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith said his publication stands by its reporting and called on Mueller to clarify what he’s disputing.