Rudy Giuliani can run but he can’t hide
Promoting George W. Bush at the Republican National Convention in August 2004, Rudy Giuliani proclaimed, “In choosing a President, we really don’t choose a Republican or Democrat, a conservative or liberal. We choose a leader.” In November 2020, America chose Joe Biden, a proven leader who promised “I will be a President for all Americans” after achieving a decisive Electoral College and popular vote victory.
Rather than acknowledge the win, however, Giuliani has promoted the Big Lie, shouting nonsense about a stolen election to whomever will listen. Through his deranged rhetoric, Giuliani has promised overwhelming proof of Trump’s reelection win while failing to provide any credible evidence to support his baseless claim. While Giuliani is failing miserably at this endeavor, he has succeeded with one thing: ensuring the complete destruction of his professional reputation.
As the former two-term mayor of New York City, Giuliani earned the nickname “America’s mayor” after 9/11 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his “outstanding help and support to the bereaved British families in New York.” Before his mayoralty, Giuliani gained respect as Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice, then as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
In recent years, however, Giuliani has single-handedly blown up his legacy thanks to his maniacal embrace of Trumpism, causing trouble and confusion as Donald Trump’s attorney. Giuliani’s idea of advocacy has entailed following his own rules rather than those of any jurisdiction in which he practiced law. As Giuliani keeps learning, veering far off course from professional expectations carries consequences.
Giuliani, who is better known today for ignominies such as shaving publicly in an airport terminal, shoving his hand down his pants in a certain subsequent moviefilm, or letting dye drip down his face at a press conference, is now under a new disciplinary investigation related to the Big Lie. On Friday, the day after the primetime January 6th Committee hearing, the D.C. bar filed charges against Giuliani for promoting false voting fraud claims about the 2020 election in a Pennsylvania court in violation of ethical rules for attorneys.
Last year, Giuliani had his law license suspended in Washington, D.C. as well as New York after a New York court found he made “false and misleading” statements about the 2020 election. The court warned that Giuliani posed “an immediate threat to the public,” that he was engaging in “continuous misconduct” likely to trigger “substantial permanent sanctions,” and that Giuliani’s underlying actions were “incredibly serious.”
This newly announced D.C. ethics investigation into Giuliani’s conduct over the 2020 election could lead to his disbarment, according to a report from Reuters. It is the latest turn in Giuliani’s downward spiral of lies and treachery, and a pitiful example of how an individual has the power to dismantle his own distinguished career and reputation, if he works hard enough at it.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month