Seth Little/AP
Rudy Giuliani speaks to reporters in New York on August 23, 2023.
CNN
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Rudy Giuliani has filed a new lawsuit challenging the criminal charges he faces in Georgia over his attempts to rig the 2020 presidential election.
The former Trump lawyer on Friday called on Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to quash the charges or at least schedule a hearing on the matter. Giuliani argued in the filing that there were “deficiencies” in the indictment that invalidate it and that prosecutors violated his rights against “double jeopardy” by structuring the racketeering conspiracy allegations.
The indictment is “a conspiratorial bouillabaisse consisting of alleged criminal acts, everyday activities and constitutionally protected speech,” the filing states.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Giuliani last month with 13 felony counts, including violating the state’s racketeering law (known as RICO), soliciting public officials to violate their oath of office, conspiring to commit forgery and making false statements.
Prosecutors argue that Giuliani engaged in a “criminal enterprise” by passing false claims of voter fraud to state lawmakers and orchestrating the sham election scheme. He pleaded not guilty, as did the other 18 defendants in the sprawling trial.
In the weeks since his indictment, Giuliani has railed against Willis, saying on a recent podcast that she is “so damn stupid” and “doesn’t even know what the RICO statute is.”
The former New York City mayor held a fundraiser Thursday to help with his growing legal bills. CNN previously reported that he owes millions of dollars in legal fees.
Giuliani is also an unindicted co-conspirator in Trump’s federal election subversion case. And he faces defamation lawsuits from Dominion and Smartmatic, voting technology companies that he falsely said rigged the 2020 election. In another case, a judge ruled that he defamed two Georgia poll workers, and a jury will decide what damages he is owed.
Georgia election officials who won a defamation lawsuit against Giuliani over his false claims of fraud in the 2020 election say they are entitled to an additional $104,000 in legal fees arising from the disclosure disputes arising in the case.
It’s up to U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell to approve the amount Giuliani must pay.
The request would be in addition to the nearly $90,000 in sanctions the judge previously ordered for Giuliani in the case.
Last month, Howell noted that Giuliani had lost the lawsuit filed by Georgia election officials Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss after he failed to provide information sought in subpoenas.
A trial to determine the amount of damages for which Giuliani will be liable is scheduled for later this year or early 2024.
