Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani had a fiery exchange with a judge in his ongoing case involving the possible seizure of his assets by two former Georgia election workers.
The Exchange
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman announced he would no longer permit the former New York City mayor and one-time presidential candidate to make unsolicited remarks in court unless he is testifying under oath.
The disruption occurred during an otherwise routine pretrial hearing in Manhattan as the judge pressed Giuliani's attorney on why Giuliani has yet to hand over the title to a car he surrendered as part of efforts to address a $148 million defamation judgment awarded to two former Georgia election workers.
"Your client was the U.S. attorney for this district," the judge remarked, referencing Giuliani's tenure in the 1980s as head of the federal prosecutor's office in the Southern District of New York. He questioned Giuliani's inability to obtain a duplicate title for the car, suggesting it was difficult to believe.
Giuliani leaned forward and addressed the judge through a microphone, explaining that he had requested a duplicate title for the car, but it had not yet been issued.
"The implication I've been not diligent about it is totally incorrect," Giuliani said to the judge. "The implication you make is against me and every implication against me is wrong."
Giuliani continued, "I'm not impoverished. Everything I have is tied up. I don't have a car. I don't have a credit card. I don't have cash. I can't get to bank accounts that truly would be mine because they have put...stop orders on, for example, my Social Security account, which they have no right to do."
Judge Liman then warned Giuliani's legal team saying "he's not going to be permitted to speak and the court will take action."
Judge Liman stated that if Giuliani wishes to speak in court again, he will need to take the witness stand and testify under oath.
Giuliani's Asset Case
Giuliani was found liable for defamation last year and ordered to pay $148 million to former election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, after accusing them of ballot tampering while promoting President-elect Donald Trump's debunked election fraud claims. The women reported receiving death threats following Giuliani's allegations that they smuggled ballots in suitcases, counted votes multiple times and manipulated voting machines.
Tuesday's exchange occurred during a hearing where the judge denied a request to postpone the January 16 trial concerning the fate of Giuliani's Florida home and his World Series rings.
The Florida residence and World Series rings are among the assets Giuliani is attempting to protect from confiscation under Liman's order, which requires him to surrender numerous prized possessions to the poll workers.
Earlier in the hearing, defense attorney Joseph M. Cammarata requested a one-month delay for the non-jury trial, citing Giuliani's "involvement" in planning the inauguration for President-elect Donald Trump.
However, the judge rejected the request, stating that Giuliani's "social calendar" was not a valid justification for delaying the trial.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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