Judge Tears Into Giuliani as He Lands in New Heap of Legal Trouble
Rudy Giuliani’s hearing in Washington, D.C., federal court over whether he should be held in contempt for allegedly continuing to defame two Georgia election workers did not go well on Friday.
The proceedings concerned how Giuliani, despite losing the defamation case against him, continued to make false statements against Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. Even before proceedings began, Giuliani was on the offensive, attacking Judge Beryl Howell as “bloodthirsty” and trying to speak over her. He even retweeted an attack on her after the courtroom was called to order.
During the hearing, Freeman and Moss’s attorney noted that the massive $148 million judgment against Giuliani hadn’t stopped him from repeating his lies about the 2020 poll workers, and asked the judge to impose a $20,000 fine against Giuliani for every violation of the ruling. In response, Giuliani’s lawyer, Eden Quainton, tried to relitigate the entire defamation ruling against him—and Howell wasn’t having it.
“I’m going to move on. This really is a waste of time,” Howell added as Quainton continued to claim that Donald Trump’s former attorney really believed what he was saying. She then called out Quainton’s client, pointing out that Giuliani hasn’t appeared to learn his lesson.
“So what you’re saying is that this defamation is never going to stop. He believed it in 2020 when he made the original statements. He believed it all throughout the trial. He believes it today. That’s chilling,” Howell said.
Giuliani keeps embarrassing himself further and further following his efforts to try to help Trump overturn the 2020 election results. He initially tried to get out of Friday’s court appearance by claiming his life was in danger due to terrorism threats. Despite being ordered to pay Freeman and Wandrea Moss $148 million, he’s been less than forthcoming, leading to a new trial and public outbursts.
Unlike other Trump cronies, Giuliani isn’t getting any support from the president-elect or a plum job in the White House, either. It looks like the man once called “America’s mayor” may be close to rock bottom.