An Arizona judge recently rebuked Rudy Giuliani‘s lawyer over a comparison made between the former New York mayor and the first president of the United States, George Washington.
In April, a grand jury indicted 18 people, including Giuliani, who once served as former President Donald Trump‘s personal lawyer, for allegedly conspiring to overturn Joe Biden‘s 2020 election victory in Arizona in a case brought on by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to all charges and said in court in May, “I do consider this indictment a complete embarrassment to the American legal system.”
As part of Giuliani’s release conditions, he was ordered to continue to live at his present local address and not leave Arizona without the court’s permission. However, Giuliani is from the East Coast, so his lawyer, Mark Williams, requested in a brief on July 12 that the judge remove these orders.
Williams argued on page 5 of the filing, “Mr. Giuliani is a great American Hero and Patriot whose endurance, swift action, and determination inspired all people in the United States during a time of great national turmoil and stress,” referring to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
He continued: “Would anyone think it necessary to require George Washington to reside in a particular state and not leave that state without the permission of the court if charges were filed against him in that state during his life? The answer is an emphatic ‘No!’ Then the same is true for Mr. Giuliani.”
Newsweek reached out to Williams and Giuliani’s spokesperson via email for comment.
Cohen agreed to modify Giuliani’s release conditions, allowing him to live in Florida or New York, but the judge made clear that his decision had nothing to do with the comparison Williams made between Washington and Giuliani.
“To be clear, this court is granting the relief sought because there is good cause to do so and not because of any of the irrelevant characterizations or purported grounds posed by his counsel on pages 4 and 5 of his motion,” Cohen wrote in a brief filed on July 18.
Cohen said the assertions on these pages “are not germane to the issues before the court,” adding, “Consistent with principles of equal protection under the law, Defendant Giuliani is not entitled to greater or lesser consideration of requested relief because of his alleged status or stature. Any suggestion to the contrary goes against all concepts of justice. Going forward, the court expects all parties to limit their filings and arguments to cognizable claims that are supported by relevant facts and law.”
Williams also asked for Giuliani’s release conditions to be modified to allow Giuliani to contact his co-defendants, which was also granted.
“Mr. Giuliani, is a Patriotic American who is very involved in American politics and there is or may be a need for him to communicate and have contact with the other co-defendants (who are also very involved in politics) in this case especially as the elections are not that far away,” Williams argued in the July 12 brief.
Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Klingerman had no objections to Williams’ requests, according to Williams’ filing.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
