During a Tuesday court hearing in Arizona, Rudy Giuliani and ten others reportedly conspired to vacate the 2020 presidential election results. They pleaded not guilty.
The ex-mayor of New York was also ordered to post $10,000 bond following his refusal to comply with the state’s attempts to serve him with a summons over the previous week.
An agent for the Republican Party served Giuliani at his 80th birthday party on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida. Prosecutors in Arizona spent weeks searching for Giuliani before they discovered him through his podcasts.
Last month, indictments were handed down by an Arizona grand jury against more than twelve people, including the phony electors and other persons associated with Donald Trump’s campaign, for their roles in attempting to reverse his 2020 election defeat.
On Tuesday, ten other defendants entered not-guilty pleas with Giuliani. There were six in-person appearances and four virtual ones. Former Trump campaign advisor Mike Roman, Trump ally Christina Bobb, and former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward are all on the roster. Bobb is now the lead lawyer for “election integrity” for the Republican National Committee.
Last week, ex-Trump attorney John Eastman entered a not guilty plea.
Next month, six other individuals, including Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff of the White House, Boris Epshteyn, an adviser to Trump, and Jenna Ellis, a lawyer for Trump’s campaign, are set to make an appearance.
The specifics of the indictment imply that Trump is “Unindicted Coconspirator 1,” even though he is not one of the individuals accused in Arizona.
Prosecutors and Giuliani come to blows
Prosecutor Nicholas Klingerman informed the judge that Giuliani “has failed to reach out or be cooperative in this process,” as he asked for a $10,000 cash bond and said that Giuliani had to appear in Arizona within a month to be processed.
According to Klingerman, there were two agents in Florida who were waiting outside the party to serve Giuliani if he left, during his birthday.
Later that night, Giuliani tweeted that the charge would be dismissed “if Arizona authorities can’t find me by tomorrow morning.” Agents observed him depart the party and served him an hour after the post, according to Klingerman.
“I haven’t been hiding from anyone,” Giuliani informed the judge during Tuesday’s session.
“I possess a considerable amount of threats…” plus, my bankruptcy has rendered me without security. Agents were unable to serve Giuliani at this New York residence because he had extremely particular requirements, Giuliani alleged.
Giuliani asserted that he had been the target of assassination attempts in both France and the Netherlands, and he argued that a monetary bond “would be totally punitive.”
In my opinion, the American justice system is thoroughly embarrassed by this indictment. Giuliani stated, “But I’ve shown no tenancy not to comply,” and went on to say that he had been sued multiple times “by a very similar movement to this one, which is the ‘let’s see what we can do to destroy Donald Trump’ movement.”
Giuliani informed the judge that he was appearing in open court without counsel. He said he could manage the arraignment on his own, “except for the fact that I don’t have a copy of the indictment.” The judge then reminded Giuliani that he was in fact there.
“Oh,” Giuliani remarked.