Former President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Monday defended his work on a failed election fraud lawsuit, as a Washington, D.C., disciplinary panel heard costs that he violated legal professional ethics guidelines within the case.
The November 2020 lawsuit, which sought to throw out votes forged in Pennsylvania, was rejected by a decide. A federal appeals court docket refused to let the marketing campaign file a revised criticism.
Hamilton “Phil” Fox of the District of Columbia Workplace of Disciplinary Counsel informed the panel that the previous New York Metropolis mayor, as soon as the highest U.S. prosecutor in Manhattan, “weaponized his legislation license to carry a frivolous motion in an try and undermine the Structure.”
Monday marked the beginning of weeklong arguments earlier than a listening to committee of the D.C. Board on Skilled Duty, which may advocate suspending Giuliani’s D.C. legislation license or disbarring him. A D.C. court docket will make the ultimate determination on any self-discipline.
Giuliani’s lawyer, John Leventhal, mentioned his consumer mustn’t face costs as a result of the decide within the Pennsylvania case didn’t settle for and by no means thought of the one model of the criticism that Giuliani himself signed.
Leventhal additionally faulted the decide’s causes for dismissing the lawsuit and famous that the court docket didn’t sanction Giuliani over his arguments.
Giuliani was the primary witness referred to as on Monday. He described how he started main the Trump marketing campaign’s authorized efforts to problem the 2020 election outcomes, together with his work on the Pennsylvania lawsuit.
Disciplinary counsel Fox requested Giuliani about whether or not he had backed up sure claims within the lawsuit with enough element, which attorneys are required to do when alleging fraud. Giuliani repeatedly mentioned the allegations had been as particular as he may make them on the time, including that he was below time constraints to sue earlier than the election outcomes had been licensed.
Giuliani’s testimony is predicted to conclude on Tuesday.
Giuliani’s New York legislation license was suspended in June 2021 after a state appeals court docket discovered that he made “demonstrably false and deceptive” statements that widespread voter fraud undermined the election.
His D.C. legislation license was briefly suspended after the New York determination.
