WASHINGTON: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been disbarred over his part in Donald Trump’s alleged election interference efforts in 2020, a New York State appellate court ruled on Tuesday, reported CNN.
The long-expected disbarment of Trump’s most high-profile lawyer, which is effective immediately, is a major blow to the former public official during a time when he faces fallout for spreading lies about the 2020 election.
Additionally to losing his law license, which is likely to be recognized across the country, Giuliani is in bankruptcy after landing $150 million in debt for defaming two election workers and faces several other lawsuits against him as well as criminal charges, as reported by CNN.
The court wrote, “The seriousness of (Giuliani’s) misconduct cannot be overstated. (Giuliani) flagrantly misused his prominent position as the personal attorney for former President Trump and his campaign, through which (he) repeatedly and intentionally made false statements, some of which were perjurious, to the federal court, state lawmakers, the public, the (Attorney Grievance Committee), and this Court concerning the 2020 Presidential election, in which he baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of this country’s electoral process.”
Giuliani not only deliberately violated some of the most fundamental tenets of the legal profession, but he also actively contributed to the national strife. Giuliani, the court said, “not only deliberately violated some of the most fundamental tenets of the legal profession, but he also actively contributed to the national strife that has followed the 2020 Presidential election, for which he is entirely unrepentant.”
Giuliani previously was suspended from being able to practice law while the New York court considered attorney discipline proceedings against him, reported CNN.
In its ruling, the court cited the former Trump attorney’s efforts to overturn the election results in several 2020 battleground states. The former New York Mayor took to X and said that he was “not surprised” by the ruling and blasted, what he said, was a corrupt system.
A spokesman for Giuliani also condemned the disbarment, which had gone through several proceedings before the court’s final decision on Tuesday.
“Members of the legal community who respect the rule of law in this country should immediately come forward and speak out against this politically and ideologically corrupted decision. We will be appealing this objectively flawed decision in hopes that the appellate process will restore integrity into our system of justice”, spokesman Ted Goodman said in a statement, according to CNN.
Notably, Giuliani played a key role in several of Trump’s schemes to allegedly overturn the results of the 2020 election. According to CNN, he was involved in alleged efforts to put forth fake electors to falsely certify Trump victories in several states, such as Arizona and Georgia, and, as the court noted Tuesday, Giuliani “falsely and dishonestly asserted to the public that people were brought from Camden, New Jersey, to vote illegally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 2020 presidential election”.
Moreover, in Georgia, Giuliani is charged with a RICO violation as well as several additional felonies, including soliciting Georgia state lawmakers, making false statements to the Georgia House and Senate and working to put forward fake electors in the state.
He is one of several co-conspirators indicted in that case, in which Trump is also a defendant, as reported by CNN. Leading to which, he is facing charges related to the election subversion efforts in Arizona and is an unindicted co-conspirator in Trump’s federal election subversion case. However, Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. (ANI)