Rudy Giuliani, former lawyer for ex-President Donald Trump, has admitted to making “false” statements about two Georgia election officials – Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss – claiming he defamed them while perpetrating fraud in the election 2020 claimed.
“Defendant Giuliani admits, solely for purposes of this litigation, that defendant Giuliani made the statements by and regarding plaintiffs,” Tuesday’s court filing said, according to CNN. “He does not dispute, for the purposes of this litigation, that the statements per se have a defamatory meaning.”
But on Wednesday morning, spokesman Ted Goodman further clarified – and watered down – the former mayor’s intentions, claiming he “did not acknowledge that the statements were false” but instead chose “not to contest the matter” with the matter is part of the case allowing a motion to dismiss.”
“This is a matter of law, not fact,” Goodman added. “Those who seek to smear the mayor ignore the fact that this provision is intended to address the legal issues of the case.”
In other words, Giuliani’s admission is an attempt “to bypass the fact-finding phase and move on to legal arguments about whether he can be held liable for the damages Moss and Freeman are seeking,” Politico explained. He still insists that his comments in question constitute protected speech and also refuses to admit that he caused damages to any of the plaintiffs, according to CNN.
The concession is also likely intended to end attempts by Moss and Freeman to collect more evidence, such as emails and text messages, after the presiding judge punished Giuliani earlier this month for failing to thoroughly review the relevant documents to get. “By admitting the facts,” Politico reported, “he says further efforts by Moss and Freeman to obtain documents and other factual evidence are no longer necessary.”
Michael J. Gottlieb, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said his team was pleased with the development. “While certain issues, including damages, remain to be determined by the court, our clients are pleased with this important milestone in their fight for justice and look forward to presenting the remainder of this case in court.”
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