'It's never going to stop?' Judge threatens Rudy Giuliani with jail if contempt continues
Rudy Giuliani has been found in contempt of court again, but this time, the judge is using a different tactic.
Thus far, Judge Beryl Howell has not held Giuliani accountable for contempt, but those days are ending. Giuliani appeared before the court on Friday, and the judge mandated that he sign a sworn declaration saying evidence at a 2023 defamation trial refuted his claims about Freeman and Moss. If he doesn't sign the paper, he'll be issued a $200 fee for each day he refuses or ultimately jailed.
It's the first time Giuliani has been threatened with jail time for contempt.
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After being found responsible for defamation, Giuliani owes Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss $148 million. However, he hasn't been able to pay. Then, he was caught trying to hide assets from the court and ordered back into court.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Eden Quainton, told the judge that Giuliani tried to comply with the agreement, but he believed his conspiracy theories. Since he's appealing the case, Giuliani also believes he should be able to continue repeating falsehoods.
“So what you’re saying is that this defamation is never going to stop?” Howell asked. “He believed it in 2021 when he made the original statements. He believed it all throughout the trial. He believes it today. It’s never going to stop. That’s chilling.”
“Mr. Giuliani does have a history of not completing his financial obligations,” Howell said.
Legal analyst P. Andrew Torrez, who hosts "Law and Chaos," characterized it as Howell "reading him for filth for an hour," before requiring the change.
"Literally any other non-Trump human who displayed this level of open contempt for a court with no signs of remorse would be given a night in lockup to cool their heels with an instruction to come back on your knees with a fulsome apology if you want to be let out," Torrez lamented.