Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and personal attorney to former President Donald Trump, has been officially disbarred from practicing law in Washington, D.C. This decision, filed by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Thursday, follows his suspension from the D.C. bar in July 2021 and mirrors a previous disbarment in New York.
Giuliani’s disbarment is rooted in his efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, particularly in Pennsylvania. Two disciplinary boards, one in New York and the other in D.C., found that Giuliani violated ethical standards by promoting baseless claims of voter fraud. The D.C. Bar’s Board on Professional Responsibility stated in June that there was “clear and convincing evidence” that Giuliani’s actions violated Pennsylvania’s Rules of Professional Conduct.
The board highlighted Giuliani’s attempts to have thousands of votes cast for Joe Biden discarded, pointing to the lack of evidence to support his claims. According to the disciplinary board’s report, Giuliani’s conduct during and after the 2020 election denigrated the legal profession and undermined public trust in democratic processes.
In a detailed report, the D.C. disciplinary board condemned Giuliani’s role in disseminating misinformation about the election. “His malicious and meritless claims have done lasting damage and are antagonistic to the oath to ‘support the Constitution of the United States of America’ that he swore when he was admitted to the Bar,” the report stated.
The board emphasized the widespread destabilization caused by Giuliani’s actions, calling it an assault on the integrity of the democratic process. His claims, which were dismissed in court for lack of evidence, played a central role in undermining trust in the outcome of the 2020 election.
In a response to the disbarment, Giuliani’s spokesperson Ted Goodman denounced the decision, calling it “a travesty and a miscarriage of justice.” Goodman characterized the ruling as politically motivated and suggested that members of the legal community should speak out against what he described as a partisan attack on the former mayor.
This is not the first instance of Giuliani facing professional and legal consequences for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election. In July 2021, Giuliani was disbarred in New York under similar circumstances, with authorities citing his false claims about widespread voter fraud. He is also facing charges in Arizona and Georgia related to efforts to interfere in those states’ election results.
Despite his long-standing career and contributions as a prosecutor, including his leadership during 9/11, Giuliani’s legacy has been marred by his actions following the 2020 election. The recent disbarment marks a significant moment in his legal downfall, with further investigations ongoing.
While Giuliani has declined to directly comment on his disbarment, it remains clear that his legal battles are far from over. The consequences of his post-election actions continue to unfold as the courts grapple with the broader implications of his conduct.
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