Rudy Giuliani held in contempt for repeating false claims about 2020 election workers

Rudy Giuliani has been held in contempt of court for the second time in a lawsuit brought by two U.S. election workers whom he falsely accused of helping to rig the 2020 presidential election. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell found that the former lawyer for President Donald Trump violated a previous court agreement requiring him to stop making misconduct claims against Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea "Shaye" Moss.

“It is outrageous and shameful that Mr. Giuliani would suggest that he is the one being treated unfairly,” Judge Howell said in her ruling in Washington. She argued that Mr. Giuliani violated the court agreement because he suggested on his "America's Mayor Live" podcast in November that videos showed the mother and daughter "quadruple counting ballots" and using computer hard drives to "fix machines."

The judge ordered Mr. Giuliani to submit a court filing within 10 days acknowledging that his testimony and evidence presented during the 2023 civil trial directly contradicted his statements. Judge Howell stated that Mr. Giuliani must also pay attorney fees and will face a $200 (approximately AUD 325.47) daily fine for each day he fails to submit the court statement. The judge also indicated that imprisoning Mr. Giuliani is an option if he continues to disregard court orders.

The former New York City mayor, Mr. Giuliani, was already found in civil contempt on Monday after a New York federal judge determined that he had failed to comply with information requests from Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss. The mother and daughter brought the case to enforce a $148 million judgment they won against Mr. Giuliani in 2023 as part of a separate lawsuit in Washington accusing Mr. Giuliani of damaging their reputations by falsely suggesting they counted illegal ballots after the 2020 election. Mr. Giuliani is appealing that judgment.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Mr. Giuliani criticized Judge Howell, who was appointed by former Democratic President Barack Obama, and repeated claims that she is politically biased against him. “This is a travesty. She’s conducting an absolute travesty and a farce,” Mr. Giuliani said. The second citation for contempt of court further compounds the legal woes facing the 80-year-old Mr. Giuliani as he attempted to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden. Mr. Giuliani has been disbarred for making false statements and has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona.

Mr. Giuliani's lawyers argued that it was unclear he was referring to the two women, and he did not mention their names on the podcast. They also maintained that the statements were protected because Mr. Giuliani was summarizing his legal position on appeal. The agreement, signed in May 2024 after the $148 million jury verdict, prohibited Mr. Giuliani from making any public statements suggesting Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss engaged in misconduct in the 2020 election, or repeating previously identified defamatory claims.