Lawyers Demand Sanctions On Trump’s Attorney, Giuliani
Demand withdrawal of law licence
Accused of making false claims about fraud in post-election lawsuits, Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani is now under fire from prominent lawyers’ group and an imminent threat of losing his law licence.
The group is requesting that New York’s judiciary goes tough on Giuliani by suspending him from practice forthwith as a deterrent against professional misconducts.
His colleagues are also roundly criticising Giuliani for urging the former President’s supporters to engage in ‘trial by combat’ shortly before they stormed the US Capitol in the infamous attack of January 6, 2021.
Under the auspices of ‘Lawyers Defending American Democracy’, the group is also demanding investigation of Giuliani, who served as a federal prosecutor and a New York City Mayor before Trump hired him as personal attorney.
“This complaint is about law, not politics,” said their letter to the Attorney Grievance Committee for the New York Supreme Court.
However, Giuliani did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the petition signed by over 40 lawyers.
He is considered top on the list of lawyers likely to face consequences for fueling Trump’s orchestrated incorrect claims of election scam arising from the November 3, 2020 US presidential poll
Attorneys not affiliated with the group, including a lawyer, who defends other lawyers from ethics complaints, said the letter could have serious consequences for Giuliani.
The Grievance Committee, part of New York state’s judiciary, has the power to censure and suspend lawyers and revoke their law licences.
Giuliani led the legal team that tried unsuccessfully to overturn Trump’s election defeat, but failed to produce any evidence of widespread fraud.
The team lost dozens of court cases in battleground states and at the Supreme Court, and Joe Biden’s victory was confirmed.
Criticisms of Giuliani escalated after the deadly 6 January attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, shortly before the former president told his supporters to “fight like hell”.
The letter to the disciplinary body cited Giuliani’s call at the same time for “trial by combat” as well as his false claims in court and public of widespread voter fraud.
A lawyer in Tennessee, Brian Faughnan, who defends other lawyers in ethics matters, said attorney suspensions and disbarments are very unusual occurrence, but admitted the letter laid out strong evidence against Giuliani that could lead to his facing a public reprimand.
“If I got a complaint like that on behalf of a client, I would be worried,” Faughnan said.
According to him, attorney disciplinary bodies typically do not publicly announce an investigation but would reveal any punishment handed down to culprits. – With The Guardian report
