Dem
47
GOP
53
Not everyone is as lucky as Trump. In particular, many of the people who worked for Trump ended up in trouble and have not gotten all the lucky breaks he did. One person who comes to mind is Rudy Giuliani. The noose is tightening around his neck and it would take a lot of luck for him to escape.
Specifically, he has defied two federal judges and they are not happy campers. Both are considering sanctioning him for refusal to obey their specific orders. "Sanctioning" might include throwing him in prison for contempt of court.
One of Giuliani's problems is a result of his defaming two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss, claiming they helped rig the 2020 Georgia election that Joe Biden won. A jury ruled that his claims were nonsense and awarded the women $148 million in damages, money that Giuliani does not have. In fact, he is broke. He has repeatedly refused to cooperate with the women as they try to seize his property, especially condos in Florida and Manhattan. Judge Lewis Liman has ordered Giuliani to cooperate and he has steadfastly refused. For example, he has refused to turn over information about the Florida condo so that the women can seize it.
On Friday, Liman is holding a hearing in New York on the women's motion to punish Giuliani for not obeying the court orders. Giuliani will find out then if Liman's patience has run out. If so, Liman could arrange for a short stay at Club Fed to focus Giuliani's mind. The women have (wisely) not asked for prison time. That would be telling the judge what to do. Judges tend not to like that. One thing the judge could do is rule that Giuliani does not live in Florida, in which case Florida's Homestead Law would not apply to him. In that case, the judge could seize the property and either turn it over to the women or hire a real estate broker to sell it and give the proceedings of the sale to them.
Earlier in the case, Liman appeared frustrated by Giuliani's stonewalling. That is not a good sign. Also, in an earlier hearing, Giuliani erupted at the judge. In an attempt to avoid appearing in the courtroom—which could result in his going to prison directly—Giuliani proposed a Zoom hearing, claiming he has a cough stemming from the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Nevertheless, subsequent to his asking for the Zoom hearing, Giuliani has spoken at length in public and recorded a 2-hour podcast without coughing. Color the judge skeptical.
A week after being a guest of Liman, Giuliani must report to the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in D.C. He has repeatedly attacked her and is facing a contempt hearing there. Among other things, he has said she is biased on account of the fact that she has sentenced many of the Jan. 6 rioters to prison. Her displeasure with him has been evident for months. She gives him orders, he refuses to obey, and she doesn't seem to take this well.
Both of these hearings are prelude to a trial in Liman's courtroom on Jan. 16. That will determine officially where Giuliani lives. If Liman rules that he lives in Manhattan, then his Florida condo can be seized. If he lives in Florida, it can't be. Another issue is who owns the (valuable) New York Yankees World Series rings that the club gave Giuliani when he was mayor of New York. He contends that he gave them to his son years ago and so they are no longer property of his that can be seized.
In addition, Giuliani is under indictment in Arizona and Georgia for his role in arranging the fake electors scheme after the 2020 election. Oh, and he is broke and his lawyers have washed their hands of him because he owes them upwards of a million dollars and can't pay.
Just in case you are wondering whether Donald Trump has done anything to help out a loyal supporter who risked everything to help him, the answer is: "No." He could have had one of his lawyers defend Giuliani, after all. That may ultimately prove to be a poor decision. In the Arizona case, or even the Georgia case if it goes forward, since Giuliani can't afford a lawyer, he might flip and say incriminating things about Trump. While Trump can't be prosecuted until Jan. 20, 2029, at the earliest, Giuliani could say things that could badly tarnish Trump's image and legacy, even if they don't land him in prison. Suppose in court under oath Giuliani says that Ken Chesebro dreamed up the fake electors scheme, but once Trump heard the plan, he grabbed it with both hands and orchestrated the whole thing, assigning everyone their parts and carefully managing the whole thing himself. In 100 years, that would probably be the only thing anyone knows about Trump. Quick, name TWO things that occurred in the administration of Warren Harding. Bet you can't without looking it up. (V)