Giuliani Apparently Blindsided the State Department and Meddled in North Korean Diplomacy at a Crucial Time

In addition to throwing President Donald Trump's legal strategy into chaos last week. former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani also bizarrely dipped his toe into foreign policy by announcing the imminent release of three American prisoners by the Kim regime in North Korea.

Despite Giuliani's announcement, though, no official plans for such a release have yet been announced. On Monday, the State Department distanced itself from Giuliani, NBC News reported. 

Giuliani "speaks for himself and not on behalf of the administration on foreign policy," department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

Over the weekend, Giuliani also boldly said that Trump is "committed to" regime change in Iran.

As one of the newest members of Trump's personal legal team — meaning he's not a White House or government employee — Giuliani was criticized for trying to speak about diplomatic relations with the Kim regime. His odd choice to try speaking on behalf of the U.S. government comes at a particularly crucial time between the two countries, with negotiations for a forthcoming meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un currently underway. 

With Giuliani going off script on apparently simple matters such as when the president knew about a single hush money payment, it's unclear what advantage there would be to having him speak about diplomatic efforts with nuclear-armed foreign powers. But perhaps Trump, who is known to shoot from the hip rhetorically, appreciates Giuliani's unpredictable nature.