Democratic Lawmakers Seeking To Disbar Rudy Giuliani Over Role In Inciting Capitol Riot

Reps. Ted Lieu (D-California) and Mondaire Jones (D-New York) have requested the New York State Bar to disbar Rudy Giuliani following the violent pro-Trump rally at the Capitol on Wednesday.

“It is inconceivable to us that Mr. Giuliani remains in good standing with the New York State Bar Association after engaging in activities that would see any other ordinary lawyer summarily thrown out of the profession,” the pair wrote in a letter to Jorge Dopico, the Chief Attorney on a departmental disciplinary committee.

“He is reportedly the subject of at least two federal investigations, one by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for his business dealings in Ukraine, and an FBI counterintelligence investigation for his political work, he attempted to subvert the 2020 election by seeking foreign campaign assistance in violation of U.S. election law, and most recently, he incited a riot leading to multiple deaths at the United States Capitol,” the letter read.

The Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally was organized in response to Congress certifying the Electoral College results of President-elect Joe Biden winning.

Giuliani played an instrumental role in pushing baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud, and led the Trump legal team in an array of efforts to overturn losses in key swing states such as Pennsylvania.

On Friday, Giuliani talked about “the stealing of the election” in a live stream on Steve Bannon’s War Room YouTube channel. “They keep being told you can’t say there was fraud. They know there was fraud,” he said of the protesters who rallied at the Capitol.

Giuliani’s comments resulted in Google taking down the video and permanently banned the channel as well as another Bannon channel.

Lieu tweeted that Giuliani needs to be held accountable for his role in provoking the riot at the Capitol.

“We will hold responsible everyone involved with the attempted coup, including the attorney to @POTUS, Rudy Giuliani,” he wrote.

Lieu and Jones specifically referenced Giuliani’s comments at the “Save America” rally on Jan. 6 as a reason for disbarment, noting that just hours before the violence at the Capitol, Giuliani called on Trump supporters to have a “trial by combat.”

“By traveling to and directing a crowd to engage in ‘combat’ at an event specifically designed to protest the results of the 2020 election, Mr. Giuliani [committed seditious conspiracy],” the lawmakers wrote.

Lieu is also involved in a Democrat-led effort to impeach President Donald Trump for his actions leading up, and in the aftermath of, the violence. He announced Saturday that the Articles of Impeachment will be brought to the House Floor on Monday.

He and Jones are far from the first seeking to disbar Giuliani.

Last month, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-New Jersey) demanded the disbarring of Giuliani and 22 other lawyers working with the Trump campaign team to subvert the 2020 election results via “frivolous” lawsuits.

“Failure to hold Giuliani and his crew accountable by revoking their licenses will only invite further abuses by bad actors and push America closer to lawlessness and authoritarianism,” Pascrell said as he filed complaints with state bar regulatory and disciplinary boards in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania.

Around the same time in early December, almost 1,500 lawyers in the U.S. signed onto an open letter to the American Bar Association condemning Rudy Giuliani and other Trump campaign lawyers for their election lawsuits, which were largely unsuccessful, noting that “a license to practice law is not a license to lie.”

Article by Katherine Huggins