The former Trump lawyer also waived his right to appear at an arraignment set for 6 September
Giuliani is charged in a sprawling, 41-count indictment for a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election-Image Source: The Guardian
Former New York City mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty on Friday to Georgia charges that accuse him of trying to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state.
Giuliani, who also waived his right to appear at an arraignment hearing set for September 6, is among 19 people charged in a sprawling, 41-count indictment that details a wide-ranging conspiracy to thwart the will of Georgia’s voters who had selected Democratic nominee Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent.
The charges against Giuliani, along with other legal woes, signal a remarkable fall for a man who was celebrated as “America’s mayor” in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack. He now faces 13 charges, including violation of Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, the federal version of which was one of his favorite tools as a prosecutor in the 1980s.
Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, has said she wants to try all 19 defendants together. But the legal wrangling has already begun in a slew of court filings since the indictment was filed on August 14.
Several of those charged have filed motions 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 to be tried quickly under a Georgia court rule that would have their trials start by early November, while others are already asking the court to extend deadlines.
Due to “the complexity, breadth, and volume of the 98-page indictment”, Giuliani asked the judge in Friday’s filing to give him at least 30 days after he receives information about witnesses and evidence from prosecutors to file motions. Normally, pretrial motions are to be filed within 10 days after arraignment.
Also on Friday, Brian Kemp, the Georgia governor, appointed a three-person panel to consider whether Shawn Still should be suspended from his state senate post while his prosecution is ongoing. Under Georgia law, Kemp is supposed to appoint such a panel within 14 days of receiving a copy of the indictment. The panel, in turn, has 14 days to make a written recommendation to Kemp.
The Republican governor named Chris Carr, the attorney general, as required by the law, as well as Republican state senate majority leader Steve Gooch and Republican state house majority leader Chuck Efstration.
Still is a swimming pool contractor and former state Republican party finance chair. He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state, declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors. Still was one of only three members of that group who was indicted.
Still was elected to the Georgia state senate in November 2022 and represents a district in Atlanta’s northern suburbs. It’s unclear whether the panel will find grounds to suspend Still, because the constitution specifies that officials should be suspended when a felony indictment “relates to the performance or activities of the office”. The three-person commission can have a hearing for Still including lawyers.
The charges against Giuliani and Still are the latest developments in a long-running investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. The investigation is being led by Willis, a Democrat who was elected district attorney in 2020.
Willis has said that her investigation is “ongoing and active” and that she is “committed to ensuring that justice is served”.
The charges against Giuliani and Still are a major development in the investigation, and they could have significant implications for both men. Giuliani could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted, while Still could be suspended from his state senate seat.
