Rudy Giuliani

{{bronze}}
[[File:Rudy Giuliani mugshot.jpeg|thumb|right|165px|"It's Giuliani time!"<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/15/nyregion/louima-says-his-attackers-did-not-yell-giuliani-time.html Louima Says His Attackers Did Not Yell 'Giuliani Time'] by John Kifner (January 15, 1998) ''The New York Times''.</ref>]]
{{uspolitics}}
{{cquote|[[Nihilism|And my attitude about my legacy is ''Fuck it!'']]|||Rudy Giuliani in 2019<ref name=nuzzi>[http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/a-conversation-with-rudy-giuliani-over-bloody-marys.html A Conversation With Rudy Giuliani Over Bloody Marys at the Mark Hotel] by Olivia Nuzzi (December 23, 2019) ''New York Magazine''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|Conservatives all nodded when Rudy Giuliani said, “I do not believe that President [[Obama]] loves America.” As opposed to Giuliani, who happened to be mayor on 9/11, so that made him America’s Mayor, a hero whose great act of heroism was “nothing fell on his head.” To paraphrase [[Donald Trump]], I like mayors who ''don't'' let towers collapse.|||[[Bill Maher]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFWv42U1l4A New Rule: The Magic R]. Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, [[YouTube]], 17 February 2017.</ref>}}
{{cquote|[[Post-truth|Truth isn’t truth.]]|||Giuliani defending his client, Donald Trump on NBC<ref>[https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/19/giuliani-truth-todd-trump-788161 Giuliani: ‘Truth isn’t truth’] by Rebecca Morin & David Cohen (08/19/2018 10:27 AM EDT; Updated 08/19/2018 12:30 PM EDT) ''Politico''.</ref>}}

'''Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani'''<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/10/30/biden-rudys-sentences-c_n_70509.html "Biden: Rudy's Sentences Consist Of 'A Noun, A Verb, And 9/11'"] — ''[[HuffPo]]''.</ref> {{lived|1944}} is a decrepit former [[Republican Party|Republican]] Mayor of [[New York City]], one-time World Trade Center Hero, one of the more hopeless candidates in the [[2008 U.S. Presidential Election|2008 Presidential election]], shameless shill and [[ratfucker]] for [[Donald Trump]] and indicted criminal. Before [[9/11]], he was best-known for 
dressing up in drag
 bringing down the [[Mafia]] commission. He also used to [[Consanguine marriage|be married to his cousin]].<ref>[https://www.theroot.com/wait-rudy-giuliani-was-once-married-to-his-cousin-tha-1826831012 "Wait, Rudy Giuliani Was Once Married to His Cousin? That Explains Everything"] — ''The Root''.</ref>

Once celebrated by the media as "America's Mayor" in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, Giuliani's public reputation has since gone to complete shit the second he became involved with the infamous orange-colored turd lord himself, reducing Rudy to nothing more than a cringeworthy human punchline, an empty shell of a man that lost any remaining piece of his integrity (assuming it even existed in the first place) years ago.<ref>https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-trump-election-indictments-georgia-eb2ff2ca7a94f9f80e95e897584c8e7d</ref><ref>https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/21/opinions/rudy-giuliani-indictment-trump-legal-problems-philp/index.html</ref>

Like a bad case of groin rash, he resurfaces every 4 years to pontificate about America-haters all the while finding new ways to embarrass himself in the process.<ref>McDermott, Maeve, [http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2016/02/08/rudy-giuliani-criticizes-beyonce-super-bowl-formation-attack-on-cops/80018490/ "Rudy Giuliani calls Beyonce's Super Bowl performance 'attack' on cops"], USA Today (8:52 a.m. EST February 9, 2016).</ref>

==Mayorship==
Giuliani ordinarily wouldn't have stood a chance in such a heavily Democratic city, but a combination of a sky-high crime rate and ''ridiculous'' corruption in the state Democratic Party in the early 1990s meant there was something of an appetite for change. But even then, he would likely have gone down in flames but for a ballot initiative on Staten Island secession that year; this drew an unusual number of voters from said borough (which is somewhat more Republican-leaning than the rest of the city) and led him to a narrow victory over incumbent David Dinkins.

Giuliani was essentially a fiscal conservative, but was socially liberal on issues such as [[abortion]] and [[gay rights]] (he started as a [[Democrat]] and has only been a Republican since the 1980s). Under his stewardship, the gentrification of New York City began in earnest. While some unambiguously good things came of this, notably his breaking the nearly century-long stranglehold [[organized crime]] had on the {{wpl|Fulton Fish Market||,}} Giuliani told his officers to ramp up the use of force against vagrants, street vendors, and [[Prostitution|streetwalkers]], even arresting them for jaywalking. Even the thing he gets the most universal credit for, getting the infamous squeegee men off the streets (which actually was a significant problem on many levels), really happened months before he took office and (by his own admission) had nothing to do with him.

He wasn't well-liked, and after a string of sex scandals and the unprovoked shooting of Amadou Diallo — in which NYPD officers unloaded 41 bullets on an immigrant outside his home (all four officers walked) — he knew he would never be remembered as one of the great mayors.

Then [[9/11]] happened. Rudy was a media darling for a while,<ref>Zajac, Andrew, [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-02-07/news/0702070063_1_rudolph-giuliani-private-sector-gulfstream "Giuliani speaking fees draw scrutiny"], ''Chicago Tribune'' 2.02.07.</ref> and his book became a best-seller. Then he decided to run for President and remind everyone why they disliked him. Regrettably, his campaign was hijacked by the [[American Taliban]], morphing him into a kind of proto-[[Sarah Palin|Palin]]. Since then, he's stopped talking sense altogether, endorsing all manner of [[far-right]] [[Fundamentalism|fundie]] nutcases.

==Office-seeking==
{{cquote|There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: A noun, a verb, and 9/11.|||[[Joe Biden]]}}

You ''kind of'' feel bad for him because cancer took away [[Hillary Clinton|a senate seat]] that should've been his. And the sad thing is, he could've been President if the election were held in the days after the WTC attacks. The proffered seat denied was what darkened Rudy's soul and convinced him to milk 9/11 as the basis of his career.

It wasn't just the cancer that made him drop out of the senate race. He also had an [[Adultery|affair]] with Judy Rankin and then publicly put his wife through the wringer in the [[divorce]] process. So… the sympathy only goes so far there.

===Why he should never be president===
{{cquote|[[Freedom]] is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. [[Authoritarianism|Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.]]<ref>[http://www.rmchronicle.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1138 What New Yorkers know about Rudy Giuliani that Coloradans should]</ref><ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E2D9173CF933A15750C0A962958260 New York Times' transcript of speech]</ref>}}

This may be contrasted with [[Benjamin Franklin]]'s famous quote:
{{cquote|They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=W2MFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA270&lpg=PA270t#v=onepage&q=&f=false Memoirs of the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin]</ref>}}

During the 2008 campaign, Rudy wanted to use "Rudie Can't Fail" by [[The Clash]] as his theme song. A rudie is a "rude boy", [[Jamaica]]n and [[British]] slang for young Jamaicans who are [[stereotype]]d as irresponsible hoodlums. "Rudie Can't Fail" is a [[punk]]-reggae song celebrating said irresponsible living.

His strategy for the election was to do nothing until [[Florida]] voted. And crowing about how he single-highhandedly saved the world on [[9/11]]. (Continuously.) Unfortunately, that didn't work at all.<ref>Elinor Shields, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7206298.stm The woes of 'America's mayor' Giuliani]. [[BBC]] News, 24 January 2008.</ref> In fact, it ended up with Giuliani becoming one of the first candidates to drop from the race, which he did on January 30, 2008. Moral: Don't ignore [[Iowa]], [[New Hampshire]], [[Nevada]], [[Wyoming]], and [[South Carolina]], even if they are the "flyovers".

===Gentlemen, you can't fight in here===
After dropping out, Giuliani endorsed [[McCain]], possibly to try and angle for the [[Vice President of the United States|VP slot]] (which [[Sarah Palin|didn't happen]]). Later, in a feeble attempt to try for both President ''and'' Vice-President, Giuliani and [[Mitt Romney|another also-ran]] decided to make trouble at the Democratic National Convention:<ref>Sullivan, Andy, [http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-denver-republicans-idUSN2143195420080821 "Giuliani and Romney to crash Democrats' Denver party"], Reuters (8/21/08 at 1:42pm EDT)</ref> They established an on-site "war room" to grab media attention and spew nonsense about the [[Obama]] campaign. Just like their respective campaigns, this was a laughable failure.

==That which is not alive cannot die==
{{cquote|So when [Trump] first announced it, he said, "[[Muslim]] ban." He called me up. He said, "Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally."|||Giuliani<ref>Wang, Amy B., [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/29/trump-asked-for-a-muslim-ban-giuliani-says-and-ordered-a-commission-to-do-it-legally/ "Trump asked for a ‘Muslim ban,’ Giuliani says — and ordered a commission to do it ‘legally’"], WaPo 1.29.17.</ref>}}
Giuliani never gives up, evidenced by the fact that it was possible to contribute to his 2008 primary bid some time ''after'' the election.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080305191034/https://www.joinrudy2008.com/contribute/ Contribute], archived from the original at joinrudy2008.com.</ref>

Ghoulinani's name came up in speculations about Trump's pick for Attorney General, or even Secretary of State. They have Rudy on tape talking about having tricks up their sleeve and laughing maniacally two days before the [[FBI]] letter blew [[Hillary Clinton]]'s campaign out of the water.<ref>Barrett, Wade, [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/03/meet-donald-trump-s-top-fbi-fanboy.html "Meet Donald Trump’s Top FBI Fanboy"], Daily Beast (11/02/16 at 9:03 PM ET).</ref> In addition, Rudy has Putin connections.<ref>Mark Landler, Eric Lipton and Jo Becker, [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/us/politics/donald-trump-cabinet-rudy-giuliani.html?_r=0 "Rudolph Giuliani’s Business Ties Viewed as Red Flag for Secretary of State Job"], NYT 11.15.16.</ref> Trump didn't appreciate Rudy almost blowing their cover and gave him the axe. "It didn't work out," said Rudy, wistfully looking at a phone which never rings.<ref>Savransky, Rebecca, [http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/311303-giuliani-trump-position-just-didnt-work-out "Giuliani: Administration job 'just didn't work out'"], The Hill (12/21/16 08:24 AM EST).</ref>

Well, at least he's not keeping butt-dialing Rudy<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/rudy-giuliani-butt-dials-nbc-reporter-heard-discussing-need-cash-n1071901 Rudy Giuliani butt-dials NBC reporter, heard discussing need for cash and trashing Bidens] by Rich Schapiro (Oct. 25, 2019) ''NBC News''.</ref> on in a "cybersecurity" job — excuse me? [whispers] …what? [whispers] Oh for fuck's sake.<ref>Brennan, Christopher, [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/experts-slam-giuliani-website-pick-cybersecurity-post-article-1.2946168 "Tech experts slam vulnerable Giuliani website after he is picked to be cybersecurity czar"], ''NY Daily News'' (Updated 1/13/17 at 8:07 PM).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170113030655/www.giulianisecurity.com/web.config.txt Rudy's security in a nutshell].</ref><ref>Violet Blue, [https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/20/giuliani-as-cybersecurity-adviser-not-funny/ Giuliani as Trump's cybersecurity adviser is an unfunny joke. There’s a new sheriff in hacker town, and nobody takes him seriously]. engadget.com, 20 January 2017.{{blockquote|In reality, we have plenty of reasons to worry. Before Rudy Giuliani was named Donald Trump's official presidential cybersecurity adviser, the former New York City mayor had made a number of things crystal clear about his intentions toward hackers and the cybersecurity industry. For one, he'd been pretty up front about the fact that he got into cybersecurity dealmaking for the money.}}</ref>

==Rudy the ratfucker==
Giuliani finally wormed his way into an actual position (sort of) in the Trump Administration when it was announced in April 2018 that he would be the new lead counsel on the team representing Trump in the ongoing federal probe into Russia's election interference.<ref>Robert Costa, Josh Dawsey and Rosalind S. Helderman, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-hires-giuliani-two-other-attorneys-amid-mounting-legal-turmoil-over-russia/2018/04/19/8346a7ca-4418-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html?utm_term=.c4303444d482 "Trump hires Giuliani, two other attorneys amid mounting legal turmoil over Russia"], ''[[Washington Post]]'', April 19, 2018</ref> While working as Trump's attorney, Giuliani admitted that he has not registered as a [[lobbyist]] for foreign governments, a violation of the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), which can result in a 5-year prison sentence and $10,000 fine, though it is rarely prosecuted.<ref name=dawsey>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/giuliani-works-for-foreign-clients-while-serving-as-trumps-attorney/2018/07/09/e21554ae-7988-11e8-80be-6d32e182a3bc_story.html Giuliani works for foreign clients while serving as Trump’s attorney] by Josh Dawsey, Tom Hamburger & Ashley Parker (July 10, 2018 at 6:00 AM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Giuliani has clients from [[Brazil]] and [[Colombia]].<ref name=dawsey/> More alarmingly, Giuliani represents the city of Kharkiv, [[Ukraine]], whose mayor belongs to the pro-[[Russia]] Party of Regions, as well as the {{wpl|Mujahideen-e-Khalq||,}} which advocates the violent overthrow of the [[Iran]]ian government.<ref name=dawsey/>

A [[whistleblower]] came forward in September 2019 reporting that Trump himself and, through his lawyer, Giuliani, had been attempting to put Trump's personal interests before that of the United States,<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-trump-and-giuliani-pressured-ukraine-to-investigate-the-presidents-rivals/2019/09/20/0955801c-dbb6-11e9-a688-303693fb4b0b_story.html How Trump and Giuliani pressured Ukraine to investigate the president’s rivals] by Josh Dawsey et al. (September 20, 2019 at 8:24 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> an [[Impeachment|impeachable]] offense.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-has-done-plenty-to-warrant-impeachment-but-the-ukraine-allegations-are-over-the-top/2019/09/20/51eff90c-dbf1-11e9-bfb1-849887369476_story.html Trump has done plenty to warrant impeachment. But the Ukraine allegations are over the top.] by George T. Conway III and Neal Katyal (September 20, 2019 at 4:56 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> In defending the actions to get [[Ukraine]] to meddle in the [[2020 US presidential election]] on behalf of Trump, Giuliani insinuated that the whistleblower is part of the [[deep state]] [[conspiracy theory]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/09/20/rudy-giulianis-remarkable-ukraine-interview-annotated/ Rudy Giuliani's remarkable Ukraine interview, annotated] by Aaron Blake (September 20, 2019 at 7:44 a.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

During the years of the [[Donald Trump]] administration, and particularly during the time of the [[Trump-Ukraine scandal]] (when Giuliani was attempting to acquire "dirt" on [[Hunter Biden]] in order to ratfuck [[Joe Biden]] in the 2020 election), Giuliani started accumulating acquaintances with many shady politicians and other unsavory types, particularly [[Russia]]-friendly figures from [[Ukraine]].{{efn|A full timeline on the long shady details regarding this scandal can be found at justsecurity.org.<ref>[https://www.justsecurity.org/66271/timeline-trump-giuliani-bidens-and-ukrainegate/ "Timeline: Trump, Giuliani, Biden, and Ukrainegate"] by Viola Gienger and Ryan Goodman, JustSecurity, 2020 January 31</ref>}} In October 2019, two [[USSR|Soviet]]-born associates of Giuliani, {{wpl|Lev Parnas}} and {{wpl|Igor Fruman||,}} were arrested in America for campaign finance violations.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2019/10/23/771849041/how-a-complicated-web-connects-2-soviet-born-businessmen-with-the-impeachment-in "How A Complicated Web Connects 2 Soviet-Born Businessmen With The Impeachment Inquiry"] by Ari Shapiro, NPR, 2019 October 23</ref>{{efn|Fruman pleaded guilty on September 10, 2021 to illegally funnelling foreign donations into US political campaigns, as part of an effort to win licenses in the booming legal marijuana business.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/10/giuliani-associate-pleads-guilty-in-foreign-donation-scheme-511171 "Giuliani associate pleads guilty in foreign donation scheme"] by Josh Gerstein, Politico, 2021 September 10</ref>}} Parnas ran a scam company fittingly named "Fraud Guarantee", which paid Giuliani $500,000.<ref>["Prosecutors Say a Company Named “Fraud Guarantee” Was a Scam. Rudy Giuliani Got $500K From It." by Dan Friedman, Mother Jones, 2020 September 18]</ref> By 2020, with the presidential election coming up, many other shady characters were known to be in Giuliani's orbit — names like {{wpl|Andriy Derkach}} (a Russian agent and [[troll]]), Kostyantyn Kulyk (a military prosecutor charged but never convicted of corruption, with ties to a Ukrainian warlord working for Russian intelligence), Oleksandr Onsychchenko (a Russia gas industry tycoon who fled his native country when accused of embezzlement), {{wpl|Dmitry Firtash}} (an energy tycoon with deep ties to the Kremlin who was wanted in the United States on bribery and racketeering charges), {{wpl|Ihor Kolomoisky}} (a banking tycoon known for financing Russia-supported mercenary troops in the East Ukraine), and Andriy Telizhenko (previously known for trolling {{wpl|Politico}} with [[bullshit]] that Ukraine had interfered with the [[2016 U.S. presidential election]] on ''[[Hillary Clinton]]'''s behalf, a claim that was later debunked).<ref>["Ukrainian Operatives Are Gearing Up Again To Take On The Bidens. They Say They Have Giuliani And Republicans On Their Side." by Christopher Miller, BuzzFeed News, 2020 July 24]</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/us/giuliani-ukraine-oligarchs.html "Why Giuliani Singled Out 2 Ukrainian Oligarchs to Help Look for Dirt"] By Jo Becker, Walt Bogdanich, Maggie Haberman and Ben Protess, New York Times, 2019 November 25</ref> The aim of this group was clearly to play interference in the 2020 presidential election, on [[Donald Trump]]'s behalf.

On September 10, 2020, Derkach was sanctioned by the US Treasury for attempting to interfere with the election.<ref>[https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1118 "Treasury Sanctions Russia-Linked Election Interference Actors"], press release, Treasury.gov</ref> Kulyk, Onyshchenko, and Telizhenko got sanctions slapped on them from the US Treasury for the same reason on January 11, 2021.<ref>[https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1232 "Treasury Takes Further Action Against Russian-linked Actors"], press release, Treasury.gov, 2021 January 11</ref>

As part of a criminal investigation connected to Giuliani's dealings with Ukraine, on April 28, 2021, the [[New York Times]] reported that federal investigators in Manhattan executed search warrants at Giuliani's home and office.<ref name="nytraid">[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/nyregion/rudy-giuliani-trump-ukraine-warrant.html "Federal Investigators Search Rudy Giuliani’s Apartment and Office"] By William K. Rashbaum, Ben Protess and Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 2021 April 28</ref> A search warrant was also instigated at the home of {{wpl|Victoria Toensing||,}} a lawyer close to Giuliani who had also represented Firtash.<ref name="nytraid/>

==Miscellaneous bigotry==
As ex-NYC mayor, one would think that Giuliani would have some rapport with [[Jewish]] voters, but no he [[Antisemitism|hates the Jewish religion]] ("They want to go through that freaking [[Passover]] all the time,” he said. “Get over the Passover. It was like 3,000 years ago. OK, the Red Sea parted. Big deal. Not the first time that happened.").<ref name=roche>[https://www.newsweek.com/rudy-giuliani-transcripts-full-read-text-shocking-conversations-1817120 Rudy Giuliani Transcripts in Full: Read Text of Shocking Conversations] by Darragh Roche (8/3/23 at 5:08 AM EDT) ''Newsweek''.</ref> Never mind that Giuliani's own religion hasn't gotten over something that [[Crucifiction|allegedly happened 2,000 years ago]]. Giuliani also gratuitously uses [[homophobic]] slurs in private ("Matt Damon is a fag.").<ref name=roche/>

==Rudy the insane insurrection inciter==
{{cquote|What they [Giuliani and [[Sidney Powell]]] were proposing I thought was nuts. You know, the theory was also completely nuts, right? I mean, it was a combination of [[Italian]]s and [[German]]s. I mean, different things have been floating around as to who was involved. I remember [[Hugo Chávez]] and the [[Venezuela]]ns. She [Powell] has an affidavit from somebody who says they wrote a software in and something with the [[Philippines]], just all over the radar.|||Eric Herschmann, Trump White House lawyer<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/06/13/1104690690/heres-every-word-of-the-second-jan-6-committee-hearing-on-its-investigation Here's every word of the second Jan. 6 committee hearing on its investigation] (June 13, 20226:16 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref>}}

In late 2020, "America's mayor", having been exposed to the [[Donald Trump]] virus, went completely insane.
*October 5, 2020: Giuliani goes on [[Fox News]] and engages in [[War on Science|science denialism]], by ranting nonsensical, incorrect information about the science on using [[COVID-19 pandemic#Facial masks.2C_an_assault_on_mah_freedom.21|facial masks]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. (In an [[ironic]] twist, Giuliani is coughing throughout the interview.)<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/06/trump-lawyer-rudy-giuliani-masks-coronavirus-fox-news "Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani coughs his way through anti-mask interview"] by Poppy Noor, Guardian, 2020 October 6</ref>
*October 14, 2020: The [[New York Post]] publishes a story alleging that {{wpl|Hunter Biden}} (son of 2020 presidential candidate [[Joe Biden]]) dropped off a laptop at a Delaware computer store for repair and that the device contained nefarious emails and photos. The repairman purportedly gave a copy of the hard drive to Giuliani, who then provided information to the ''Post''. Upon further examination, though, the story smelled of [[bullshit]], with Giuliani and others in the Trump circle unable to present any evidence to Giuliani's outrageous claims, such as a claim that the hard drive contained "numerous pictures of underage girls”. (Making outrageous claims with zero evidence was going to be a major motif of Giuliani in the months to come.) Media interviews with the repairman in question revealed a very nervous man, with conflicting stories and bizarre references to the [[Seth Rich]] conspiracy theory. As a result, no major media outlet or social media company gave much credibility to the story, a wise choice considering how bad the ''New York Post'' {{wpl|Boston Marathon bombing#Conflicting reports|has fucked up in the past}} and how quickly Giuliani's credibility was declining.<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/10/22/the-hunter-biden-scoops-heres-why-the-media-largely-hasnt-picked-up-the-ny-post-stories-hint-its-not-bias/?sh=4d6d5f679c41 "The Hunter Biden ‘Scoops’: Here’s Why The Media Largely Hasn’t Picked Up The NY Post Stories (Hint: It’s Not Bias)"] by Joe Walsh, Forbes, 2020 October 22</ref><ref>[https://www.npr.org/2020/10/17/924506867/analysis-questionable-n-y-post-scoop-driven-by-ex-hannity-producer-giuliani "Analysis: Questionable 'N.Y. Post' Scoop Driven By Ex-Hannity Producer And Giuliani"] by David Folkenflik, NPR, 2020 October 17</ref><ref>[https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/14/21515972/facebook-new-york-post-hunter-biden-story-fact-checking-reduced-distribution-election-misinformation?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4%5C "Facebook and Twitter are restricting a disputed New York Post story about Joe Biden’s son"] by Adi Robertson, Verge, 2020 October 14</ref><ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/man-who-reportedly-gave-hunters-laptop-to-rudy-speaks-out-in-bizarre-interview?ref=scroll "Man Who Reportedly Gave Hunter’s Laptop to Rudy Speaks Out in Bizarre Interview"] by Jordan Howell and Erin Banco, Daily Beast, 2020 October 14</ref> Even longtime journalists at the ''New York Post'' wanted nothing to do with this [[bullshit]].<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/10/new-york-post-staff-nothing-to-do-with-hunter-biden-story "New York Post Staff Reportedly Wanted Nothing To Do With That Fishy Hunter Biden Story"] by Charlotte Klein, Vanity Fair, 2020 October 19</ref> Some intelligence experts believe that this attempted story was actually [[Russian]] disinformation propagated through a Ukrainian lawmaker named {{wpl|Andriy Derkach}} who had been in contact with Giuliani at least two times prior to the "story" breaking.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/19/hunter-biden-story-russian-disinfo-430276 "Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say"] by Natasha Bertrand, Politico, 2020 October 19</ref>
*October 23, 2020: Satirist and prankster {{wpl|Sacha Baron Cohen}} releases his second film using his {{wpl|Borat Sagdiyev|"Borat"}} character, {{wpl|Borat Subsequent Moviefilm||.}} The most shocking scene in the film comes when Giuliani is shown in a hotel bedroom with actress {{wpl|Maria Bakalova}} (who played Borat's daughter Tutar in the film, and is impersonating a journalist in the scene). During the scene, Giuliani laid down on the bed and shoved his hands in his pants, with some suggesting that he might have been fondling himself.<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jason-woliner-borat-2-rudy-giuliani_n_5ff49730c5b6e7974fd6c6d4 ‘Borat 2’ Director Still Shocked By Film’s Rudy Giuliani Scene] by David Moye, Huffington Post, 2021 January 5</ref><ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/10/21/giuliani-reportedly-caught-with-his-hand-in-his-pants-in-new-borat-film/?sh=7153803f1b2e "Giuliani Reportedly Caught With His Hand In His Pants In New ‘Borat’ Film"] by Carlie Porterfield, Forbes, 2020 October 21</ref>
*November 3, 2020: Election day for the [[2020 U.S. presidential election]].
*November 7, 2020: [[Joe Biden]] wins the [[2020 U.S. presidential election]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/07/us/politics/biden-election.html "Biden Wins Presidency, Ending Four Tumultuous Years Under Trump"] By Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, New York Times, 2020 November 7</ref>
*November 7, 2020: In response, Giuliani arranges a press conference at the Four Seasons. This, unexpectedly, did not refer to a location of the {{wpl|Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts|Four Seasons hotel chain|.}} Instead, this referred to ''Four Seasons Total Landscaping'' in Northeast Philadelphia, a landscaping business in an industrial area located near a sex shop, a crematorium, and a jail.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2020/11/11/933635970/from-obscure-to-sold-out-the-story-of-four-seasons-total-landscaping-in-just-4-d "From Obscure To Sold Out: The Story Of Four Seasons Total Landscaping In Just 4 Days"] by Miles Bryan, NPR Morning Edition, 2020 November 11</ref>
*November 14, 2020: [[Donald Trump]] puts Giuliani in charge of all election lawsuits speculating that (fanciful) massive fraud took place and that (in contrast to reality) Donald Trump should be president.<ref>[https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/trump-puts-personal-lawyer-rudy-giuliani-in-charge-of-all-election-lawsuits/ar-BB1b0rET "Trump puts personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in charge of all election lawsuits"] by Graeme Massie, Independent, 2020 November 14</ref>
*November 19, 2020: Knowing of no rational argument that would align with Trump's demented worldview, in a news conference on November 19, Giuliani spins up a wild conspiracy theory that "votes (were) counted in Germany and in Spain by a company owned by affiliates of [[Hugo Chavez|Chavez]] and {{wpl|Nicolas Maduro|Maduro}}". The conspiracy theory espoused by Giuliani refers to voting machines made by {{wpl|Smartmatic||,}} a company started by engineers born in [[Venezuela]] but founded in {{wpl|Boca Raton, Florida}} in 2000. Smartmatic voting machines were only used in one county in the 2020 election ({{wpl|Los Angeles County}}), making the claim seem bizarre even at face value. Giuliani then brought up that Smartmatic's chairman "is a close associate and business partner of [[George Soros]], the biggest donor to the [[Democrat]] Party, the biggest donor to [[antifa]] and the biggest donor to [[Black Lives Matter]]." It is no secret that Smartmatic's current chairman, {{wpl|Mark Malloch Brown, Baron Malloch-Brown|Lord Baron Malloch-Brown|,}} is involved with Soros's {{wpl|Open Society Foundations||;}} it is also no secret that these well-trodden tropes of Soros funding Antifa and BLM, popular in conservative conspiracy land, are false.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-false-george-soros-claims/fact-checkfalseclaims-about-george-soros-idUSKBN23P2XJ "Fact check: False claims about George Soros"] by Reuters Staff, Reuters, 2020 September 23</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/19/fact-checking-craziest-news-conference-trump-presidency/ "Fact-checking the craziest news conference of the Trump presidency"] by Glenn Kessler, New York Times, 2020 November 19</ref><ref>[https://www.smartmatic.com/us/case-studies/article/facts-about-smartmatic/ "Facts about Smartmatic"], Smartmatic.com</ref><ref>[https://www.smartmatic.com/us/smartmatic-fact-checked/ "Smartmatic Fact-checked"], Smartmatic.com</ref><ref>[https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201119-chavez-soros-and-my-cousin-vinny-giuliani-s-wild-vote-fraud-presser "Chavez, Soros and 'My Cousin Vinny:' Giuliani's wild vote fraud presser"], France24.com, 2020 November 19</ref> As an added bonus, during the conference, Giuliani's hair dye (or some other form of makeup) melted and ran down his face, leaving many professional hairstylists aghast.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/hair-stylists-say-rudy-giulianis-tv-disaster-should-be-a-lesson-to-us-all "Hairstylists Say Rudy Giuliani’s TV Disaster Should Be a Lesson to Us All"] by Tim Teeman, Daily Beast, 2020 November 20</ref><ref>[https://www.factcheck.org/2020/11/baseless-conspiracy-theory-targets-another-election-technology-company/ "Baseless Conspiracy Theory Targets Another Election Technology Company"] by Saranac Hale Spencer, FactCheck.org, 2020 November 25</ref>
*November 21, 2020: Giuliani turned up in a [[Pennsylvania]] courtroom to personally argue one of his ridiculous fraud lawsuits, only to have District Judge {{wpl|Matthew Brann}} completely eviscerate it. This is just the beginning of the Trump legal team's spectacular losing streak in court.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/21/federal-judge-tosses-trump-suit-over-pennsylvania-election-results-439010 "‘This is simply not how the Constitution works’: Federal judge eviscerates Trump lawsuit"] by Josh Gerstein, Kyle Cheney and Zach Montellaro, Politico, 2020 November 21</ref>
*November 21, 2020: An affidavit Giuliani cited during the November 19 press conference that claimed that there were several precincts in [[Michigan]] with over-votes ("of 150%, 200%, and 300%", as Giuliani claimed), was found to be using ''[[Minnesota]]'' county names.<ref>[https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/11/21/fact-check-rudy-giuliani-affidavit-errors/6366011002/ "Rudy Giuliani cites affidavit about Michigan that erroneously includes Minnesota locations"] by Louis Jacobson and Noah Y. Kim, Detroit Free Press, 2020 November 21</ref>
*December 1-2, 2020: On November 10th, a woman named Melissa Carone filed an affidavit that as a "contractor for {{wpl|Dominion Voting Systems}}" she "witnessed nothing but fraudulent actions take place".<ref>[https://www.scribd.com/document/484427649/Costantino-Et-Al-v-City-of-Detroit-Et-Al-Supplemental-Affidavit-11-10-2020 "Supplemental Brief In Support Of Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction, File No: 20-014780-AW], filed by Melissa Carone on 2020 November 10th, archived at scribd.com</ref> This was enough for Giuliani to tap her as a "star witness" at a Michigan House and Michigan Senate Oversight Committees panel on Trump's baseless fraud allegations in early December. The allegations, [[WAKE UP|delivered loudly]] in a sputtering, slapdash, conspiracy theory-oriented manner, were easily deemed "not credible" by a {{wpl|Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne County}} judge two days later.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/03/melissa-carone-michigan-trump-giuliani-election/ "Trump campaign’s star witness in Michigan was deemed ‘not credible.’ Then, her loud testimony went viral."] by Teo Armus, Washington Post, 2020 December 3</ref><ref>[https://www.vox.com/2020/12/3/22150194/trump-rudy-giuliani-michigan-results-election-fraud-voter-suppression-detroit-melissa-carone "Rudy Giuliani’s bizarre legal strategy, in two clips"] by Jerusalem Demsas, Vox, 2020 December 3</ref> Her loud, eccentric performance went viral and earned widespread speculation on social media that she was drunk the entire hearing.<ref>[https://www.tmz.com/2020/12/09/melissa-carone-denies-being-drunk-covid-quarantine-sex-tape/ "GIULIANI 'WITNESS' MELISSA CARONE I WASN'T DRUNK DURING HEARING ...And No COVID Worries!!!"], TMZ.com, 2020 December 9</ref> On December 28, 2020, Dominion Voting Systems filed a strongly-worded cease-and-desist letter against Carone, calling her claims “outlandish” and warning her that “litigation regarding these issues is imminent.”.<ref>[https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2020/12/28/dominion-lawyers-slam-mellissa-carone-about-outlandish-claims-of-election-fraud-in-cease-and-desist-letter "Dominion lawyers slam Mellissa Carone's 'outlandish' claims of election fraud in cease-and-desist letter"] by Steve Neavling, Detroit Metro Times, 2020 December 28</ref>
*December 7, 2020: After spending more than 10 hours in a {{wpl|Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix}} hotel ballroom with more than a dozen [[Arizona]] Republican lawmakers, maskless and not social distancing like one should when in the middle of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Giuliani is admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, causing the Arizona legislature to panic and abruptly shut down for a week.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/07/arizona-legislature-closed-covid-giuliani/ "Arizona legislature closes after Giuliani spent two days with maskless GOP lawmakers"] by Jaclyn Peiser, Washington Post, 2020 December 7</ref>
*December 13, 2020: The tally of the [[Gish gallop]] of lawsuits alleging electoral fraud by Giuliani and other Trump allies at this date: 1 win, 59 losses.<ref>[https://archive.is/Ooq1c "BREAKING: There are currently no unruled upon lawsuits brought by Trump or his allies in any court. The only cases remaining in court are appeals of Trump's previous losses. Unless they file new lawsuits, Trump and his allies will remain 1-59 in post-election litigation."], Marc E. Elias (@marceelias), Twitter, 2020 December 13, archived on 2020 December 13</ref>
*December 18, 2020, days after the [[Electoral College]] had certified Joe Biden as the winner of the [[2020 U.S. presidential election]], a group of high-level kooks showed up at the White House. The kooks were not officially invited, but were let in by a junior staffer and gained access to Trump anyway. The kooks included Giuliani, conspiracy theorist [[Patrick Byrne]], Trump's bogus election fraud lawyer Sidney Powell, felon/Lieutenant General [[Michael Flynn]], and others. What ensued was a prolonged and heated exchange between the kooks and White House lawyers. The kooks managed to convince Trump that by various connivances the election could be overturned even though they knew this would have been illegal and/or unconstitutional. Trump was convinced by the kooks and sent out the notorious "be there, will be wild" tweet in the early morning hours of the 19<sup>th</sup>, setting the stage for incitement of the [[coup]] attempt on January 6<sup>th</sup>, 2021.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/07/12/1111123258/jan-6-committee-hearing-transcript Here's every word from the seventh Jan. 6 committee hearing on its investigation] (July 12, 20226:32 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref>
*January 6, 2021: Famously, this was the day of the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot|amateurish attempted coup]] from various [[Donald Trump]] [[cult|cultists]]. Before the attempted coup, Giuliani riled up the crowd by telling the protesters that there should be a "trial by combat" to settle the election.<ref>[https://abovethelaw.com/2021/01/rudy-giuliani-challenges-antifa-to-fight-him-mano-a-mano/?rf=1 "Rudy Giuliani Challenges Antifa To Fight Him Mano-a-Mano"] by Elizabeth Dye, Above the Law, 2021 January 8</ref> (Could this be... {{wpl|insurrection||?}} [[Joe Scarborough]] '''fucking''' thinks so!)<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/media/533072-scarborough-calls-for-arrest-of-trump-giuliani-and-trump-jr-for-insurrection "Scarborough calls for arrest of Trump, Giuliani and Trump Jr. for insurrection against US"] by Morgan Gstalter, The Hill, 2021 January 7</ref>
*January 8, 2021: Giuliani appears on [[Steve Bannon]]'s "War Room" [[YouTube]] channel and blames the coup he incited... on "fascists" in the "[[Democrat]] party". Since Bannon's "War Room" had been [[Steve Bannon#Great Walls of Fraud|in trouble with YouTube before]] for advocating violence, this [[Psychological projection|projecting]] [[bullshit]] was enough to get YouTube to permanently boot Bannon off of their platform.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/bannon-podcast-youtube-giuliani-riot-b1784765.html "Steve Bannon’s podcast removed from YouTube hours after Giuliani interview"] by Graeme Massie, Independent, 2021 January 8</ref><ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-bans-steve-bannon-war-room-podcast-rudy-giuliani-comments-2021-1 "YouTube bans Steve Bannon's podcast channel hours after Rudy Giuliani appeared on an episode and blamed the Capitol siege on Democrats"] by Joshua Zitser, Business Insider, 2021 January 9</ref>
*January 25, 2021: Dominion Voting Systems, tired of Giuliani's [[bullshit]] over their product, sued Giuliani for defamation, seeking $1.3 billion in damages.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/dominion-voting-systems-sues-rudy-giuliani-over-false-election-claims-n1255511 "Dominion Voting Systems sues Rudy Giuliani over false election claims, seeks $1.3 billion"] by Rebecca Shabad, NBC News, 2021 January 25</ref>
*March 5, 2021: House representative {{wpl|Eric Swalwell}} (D-CA) also tires of Giuliani's [[bullshit]] and sues Giuliani (along with [[Donald Trump]] and [[Mo Brooks]]) for allegedly inciting the Capitol riot.<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/05/eric-swalwell-sues-trump-giuliani-for-inciting-capitol-riot.html "House impeachment manager Eric Swalwell sues Trump, Giuliani for allegedly inciting Capitol riot"] by Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 2021 March 5</ref>
*September 11, 2021: On the 20th anniversary of his [[9/11|greatest moment in the spotlight]], Giuliani shows just how far he has fallen from that peak by giving a rambling, nearly-incoherent speech (that had many on social media question if he was severely intoxicated) at his annual dinner commemorating the anniversary of [[9/11]]. During the speech, he bizarrely strung multiple [[non sequitur]] topics together, ranging from bad [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth]] impersonations, to out of nowhere denying that he "never had a drink with" or "was with a woman or a young girl with" {{wpl|Prince Andrew}} (only to backtrack a short bit later and admit that he has met him a couple times), to taking confused vulgar potshots at Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff {{wpl|Mark Milley||.}}<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/rudy-giulianis-9-11-anniversary-speech-was-every-bit-as-batshit-as-youd-expect-1224289/ "Rudy Giuliani’s 9/11 Anniversary Speech Was Every Bit as Batshit as You’d Expect"] by Peter Wade, Rolling Stone, 2021 September 11</ref>
*January 21, 2022: Reports emerged that Giuliani, with the help of the Trump administration (and even an anchor from [[One America News Network]]), was the primary coordinator in December 2020 of a campaign to steal the election by disrupting the {{wpl|United States Electoral College|Electoral College}} process. Specifically, the scheme was to have illegitimate electors from seven battleground states that [[Joe Biden]] won sign fake certificates falsely claiming that [[Donald Trump]] was the victor and attempt (and fail) to persuade governors to sign the bogus certificate, or put pressure on Vice President [[Mike Pence]] that no winner could be declared in these states due to the existence of these bogus certificates. The scheme was quite clearly [[bullshit]], enough so that several of the appointed Trump electors refused to go along with the plan, forcing the campaign to replace them with other willing stooges.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/12/politics/trump-overturn-2020-election-fake-electoral-college/index.html "Trump allies' fake Electoral College certificates offer fresh insights about plot to overturn Biden's victory"] by Zachary Cohen and Marshall Cohen, CNN, 2022 January 12</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/electors-giuliani-trump-electoral-college/2022/01/20/687e3698-7587-11ec-8b0a-bcfab800c430_story.html "As Giuliani coordinated plan for Trump electoral votes in states Biden won, some electors balked"] by Beth Reinhard, Amy Gardner, Josh Dawsey, Emma Brown and Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post, 2022 January 21</ref>

According to a $1.3 billion lawsuit against Giuliani by Dominion Voting Systems, all of his conspiracist bullshit-pushing was only a means to the end of selling product.<ref name=harwell>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/26/giuliani-conspiracy-influencer-lawsuit/ Giuliani wasn’t just a Trump partisan but a shrewd marketer of vitamins, gold, lawsuit says: Trump’s personal lawyer sought to turn conspiracy theories and voter fraud videos into online moneymakers, attorneys for Dominion say] by Drew Harwell (Jan. 26, 2021 at 4:00 a.m. PST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Giuliani has become a product 'influencer' and has been hawking [[gold]] coins, silver, [[nutritional supplement]]s, [[Tobacco smoking|cigars]], a "conservative alternative" to [[AARP]], and protection from 'cyber thieves'.<ref name=harwell/> Yes, Mr. Kremlin wants to protect you from cybercriminals.

Due to the multiple false statements Giuliani made about the [[2020 U.S. presidential election]], on June 24, 2021, a [[New York]] state appeals court suspended Giuliani's license to practice law in that state.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rudolph-giuliani-is-suspended-law-practice-new-york-state-2021-06-24/ "Giuliani's law license suspended over false Trump election claims"] by Jonathan Stempel, Reuters, 2021 June 24</ref><ref>[http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad1/calendar/List_Word/2021/06_Jun/24/PDF/Matter%20of%20Giuliani%20(2021-00506)%20PC.pdf "In the Matter of RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI (ADMITTED AS RUDOLPH WILLIAM GIULIANI), an attorney and counselor-at law: ATTORNEY GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE FOR THE FIRST JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT, Petitioner, RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI, (OCA ATTY. REGISTRATION NO. 1080498), Respondent], Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division, First Judicial Department, Motion No. 2021-00491, Case No. 2021-00506</ref> On July 2 2024, a New York appeals court formally disbarred Giuliani from practicing law in New York.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-new-york-disbarred-81b327f9ab1f98548cb888f8e652c9a8 "Giuliani is disbarred in New York as court finds he repeatedly lied about Trump’s 2020 election loss"] by Philip Marcelo, AP News, 2024 July 2</ref>

Some time after Trump lost the election, probably in January 2021, Giuliani requested but did not receive a presidential pardon, presumably for unspecified criminal acts.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/06/28/1108396692/jan-6-committee-hearing-transcript Here's every word from the sixth Jan. 6 committee hearing on its investigation] (June 28, 20226:23 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref>

==Indictment==
The above attempts to overturn an election? Totally illegal. Trump and Giuliani were indicted in August 2023 alongside 17 co-conspirators for their involvement in the conspiracy to circumvent the democratic process in Georgia.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/19-people-charged-georgia-indictment-connected-trump-election-102274367 A look at the 19 people charged in Georgia indictment connected to Trump election scheme] by Kate Brumback and Jonathan J. Cooper (August 15, 2023) ''ABC News''.</ref> Ironically, considering that he used RICO charges to bring down the New York Mafia when he was a prosecutor, Giuliani is now charged with RICO offences among others.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/08/14/indictment-document-trump-georgia/ Read the full text of the Trump Georgia indictment document] (August 15, 2023) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66502285 Rudy Giuliani jailed mobsters with a charge he now faces] (August 15, 2023) ''BBC News''.</ref> He was not amused by this fact.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/rudy-giuliani-rico-act-trump-indictment-b2393948.html Giuliani furious about being charged with same mob law he claims he pioneered] (August 16, 2023) ''The Independent''.</ref>

On April 24 2024, Giuliani was also indicted for his involvement in the conspiracy to circumvent the democratic process in [[Arizona]]. Giuliani tried to stonewall being served the indictment for as long as possible, evading agents for weeks. On May 17 2024, Giuliani even sent a taunting message over [[Twitter]] to Arizona authorities demanding (without any legal reasoning whatsoever) that they dismiss the indictment if they could not find him by the following day. That evening, at his 80th birthday party in Palm Beach, [[Florida]], Giuliani was [[Fun:Pwned|PWNED]] by Arizona agents and was formally served with the indictment.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/05/14/rudy-giuliani-arizona-charges/ "Rudy Giuliani still hasn’t been served his Arizona indictment"] by Yvonna Wingett Sanchez and Holly Bailey, Washington Post, 2024 May 14</ref><ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/18/politics/rudy-giuliani-served-arizona-indictment/index.html "Rudy Giuliani served with Arizona indictment at 80th birthday bash"] by Paradise Afshar, Kyung Lah, and Shania Shelton, CNN, 2024 May 18</ref>

==Rudy the vilifier==
{{cquote|"I will go to my grave knowing that Rudy Giuliani looked the state senators in the eye and just flat-out lied"|||Republican senior Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling<ref name="reutuersdemonize"/>}}

As part of [[Donald Trump]]'s [[Big Lie]], Giuliani helped concoct a [[conspiracy theory]] concerning two [[African-American|Black]] poll workers, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman, both who took a temporary job to help count {{wpl|Fulton County, Georgia}} ballots in the [[2020 U.S. presidential election]]. The conspiracy theory falsely claimed that [[cherry-picking|cherry-picked]] video footage showed that the two poll workers were actively stuffing ballots from "suitcases" hidden under a table covered by a black cloth. In reality, the "suitcases" were repeatedly identified by election officials as the standard boxes used in Fulton County to transport and store ballots. In addition, the full surveillance feed showed no irregularities. That didn't stop the Trump campaign from broadcasting their [[bullshit]] claim on [[One America News Network]] that the two women were "professional vote scammers", "hustlers", and known political operatives who "stuffed the ballot box". The false claim spread to other [[fake news]] outlets such as the [[Gateway Pundit]], which [[doxxed]] the names of the women.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/07/trump-touts-misleading-video-proof-georgia-voter-fraud/ "Trump touts misleading video as ‘proof’ of Georgia voter fraud"] by Adriana Usero, Washington Post, 2020 December 7</ref><ref name="reutuersdemonize">[https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-election-threats-georgia/ "Trump campaign demonized two Georgia election workers – and death threats followed"] by Jason Szep and Linda So, Reuters, 2021 December 1</ref> In a December 10 hearing of Georgia lawmakers, Giuliani directly (falsely) accused the two poll workers of hacking into Georgia's voting machines while passing USB thumb drives between them "as if they're vials of [[heroin]] and [[cocaine]]".<ref name="reutuersdemonize"/>

Giuliani also conspired about an incident that occurred at the location where these particular ballots were being counted, {{wpl|State Farm Arena||.}} On Election Day, ballot counting was delayed, as the floor of the room where mail-in ballots were being processed was drenched from a ceiling leak. According to Giuliani's conspiracy theory, this leak was designed to clear observers and media from the voting area so Freeman and Moss could go "about their dirty, crooked business". In reality, the leak was caused by an overflowed urinal.<ref name="reutuersdemonize"/>

Due to the above false smear campaign, Moss and Freeman were subject to multiple deluges of harassing emails, phone calls, and text message threatening them with violence and engaging in [[racist]] taunts. Strangers were even showing up at Freeman's house, as Freeman's home address had been posted on [[Parler]]. This forced Freeman to flee to an undisclosed safe location.<ref name="reutuersdemonize"/>

==Lawsuits and bankruptcy==
{{cquote|Take it from me, Trump destroys everything he touches. I saw it happen to my family.|||{{wpl|Caroline Giuliani||,}} daughter of Rudy regarding the downfall of her father,<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/caroline-giuliani-trump-kamala-harris "Rudy Giuliani’s Daughter: Trump Took My Dad From Me. Please Don’t Let Him Take Our Country, Too"] by Caroline Rose Giuliani, Vanity Fair, 2024 September 30</ref>}}

Giuliani's hijinks in recent years has resulted in multiple lawsuits and civil cases, the majority of which spectacularly lost in court.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/04/25/rudy-giulianis-mounting-legal-trouble-here-are-all-the-issues-trump-attorney-faces-amid-arizona-indictment/</ref>
 
On December 2021, Freeman and Moss (the same poll worker targeted by Rudy and other "Stop The Steal" collaborators) filed a defamation lawsuit against both Giuliani and One America News Network.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/24/trump-giuliani-oann-election-fraud/ "Rudy Giuliani and One America News sued by Georgia poll workers falsely accused of electoral fraud"] by Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 2021 December 24</ref> (Freeman and Moss also had filed a defamation lawsuit against Gateway Pundit earlier that year.)

On December 15 2023, a jury held that Giuliani indeed did defame Moss and Freeman, and awarded the two women $148 million in damages. Soon after, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-2020-election-georgia-defamation-moss-freeman-6f6446c4f5224f521db8ff7763fb12d1 "Jury awards $148 million in damages to Georgia election workers over Rudy Giuliani’s 2020 vote lies"] by Lindsay Whitehurst and Alanna Durkinricher, AP News, 2023 December 15</ref>

Reeling from the endless onslaught of legal troubles (as well as the hefty fees they entail), old Rudy has been driven to almost complete financial ruin as the cases against Giuliani had drained several millions from his bank account. Because of this, Giuliani began desperately grifting in any possible way he can in order to keep himself from sinking even further into debt, from recording clips of himself singing nursey rhymes on the celebrity video-sharing app {{w|Cameo (Website)|Cameo}}<ref>https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/rudy-giuliani-cameo-nursery-rhyme-b2305365.html</ref> to becoming a spokesman for a right-wing coffee roastery company (which also happens to be bankrupt as well).<ref>https://www.thedailybeast.com/rudy-giulianis-coffee-roastery-burke-brands-also-just-went-bankrupt</ref>

In spite of these dire circumstances, however, Giuliani continues to use his personal bank account to spend liberally beyond his budget.

==See also==
*[[Michael Bloomberg]], his successor
*[[Chris Christie]] — A once-respected moderate, now wallowing in the muck
*[[Pat Robertson]] — Endorsed him for President(!)
*[[Fun:2016 Republican National Convention]] — Rudy squandered his last sliver of goodwill the moment he [https://media.giphy.com/media/l0MYEczRo88ezA1DW/giphy.gif transformed into a werewolf] on that goddamned podium. (And he was one of the tamer performances.)

==Videos==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBWu2-07gFk Giuliani praises Putin's leadership] - It's almost as if they ''want'' Obama to come into their house and screw their wives and make the kids watch, or something.
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IrE6FMpai8&feature=youtu.be Rudy's greatest legacy]

==External links==
*[https://twitter.com/Slate/status/786376433841139712 She was wearing a mask, how could he possibly have known!?]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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