Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty to Georgia charges
Giuliani, along with the former president and at least 10 others, abandoned a trip to Atlanta to appear before the judge in a packed courtroom with news cameras playing.
ATLANTA — Rudy Giuliani on Friday pleaded not guilty to charges in Georgia that allege he tried, along with former President Donald Trump and others, illegal subversion results of the 2020 election in this state.
In filing a plea of innocence in court, the former New York mayor and Trump’s attorney also waive the right to appear at a trial. impeachment hearings set for September 6. He, along with the former president and at least 10 others, abandoned a trip to Atlanta to appear before the judge in a packed courtroom with news cameras playing.
Trump and Giuliani are among them 19 people charged in a sweeping 41-count indictment detailing a widespread conspiracy to obstruct the will of Georgia voters, who chose Democratic Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent .
The charges against Giuliani, along with other legal woessignal a remarkable fall for a man honored as “Mayor of America” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He now faces 13 charges, including breaking the law. Georgia Anti-Fraud Lawthe federal version was one of his favorite tools as a prosecutor in the 1980s.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said that she wants to try all 19 defendants together. But the legal dispute has begun in a flurry of court filings since the indictment was filed on Aug.
Some of the accused have filed to be tried alone or with a small group of other defendants, while others are trying to move their proceedings to federal court. Some are seeking an expedited trial under Georgia court rules that will begin in early November, while others are asking the court to extend the deadline.
Due to the “complexity, breadth and quantity of the 98-page indictment,” Giuliani asked the judge in the filing Friday to give him at least 30 days after he received the witness information. and evidence from prosecutors to file the petition. Usually, pre-trial petitions must be filed within 10 days of a charge being filed.
Also on Friday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp appointed a three-man panel to consider whether Shawn Still should be suspended from his state Senate position while his prosecution is ongoing. Under Georgia law, Kemp must appoint such a panel within 14 days of receiving the indictment. The council, in turn, has 14 days to present a written proposal to Kemp. The Republican governor appointed Attorney General Chris Carr, as required by law, as well as Republican Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch and Republican House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration.
Still is a pool contractor and former Republican finance chairman in the state. He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed false certificates claiming Trump had won the state and claiming to be the state’s “lawfully elected and qualified” elector. Still is one of only three members of that group to be prosecuted.
Still was elected to the Georgia State Senate in November 2022 and represents a county in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. It is unclear whether the panel will find a reason to suspend Still, as the constitution provides that officials should be suspended when a felony indictment is “involved in the performance or functioning of the bureau”. room”. The three-person committee can hold a hearing for Still, including attorneys.
