Why Giuliani’s financial downfall is an ominous sign for another Trump ally: analysis

22 December 2023

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani officially filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday, December 21 — the day after Judge Beryl Howell ordered him to pay $146 million in damages to former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who sued him for defamation and won.

Giuliani falsely claimed, without evidence, that Freeman and Moss helped now-President Joe Biden steal the 2020 election from then-President Donald Trump — a repeatedly debunked claim the former Trump lawyer doubled down on even after losing the case. And Freeman and Moss, who have been inundated with death threats from Trump supporters, responded by filing a second defamation lawsuit against Giuliani.

Like Giuliani, far-right MAGA Republican and conspiracy theorist Kari Lake — who is running for the U.S. Senate seat presently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona) — is a major election denialist. Lake was the GOP nominee in Arizona's 2022 gubernatorial election, which she falsely claims was stolen from her by supporters of now-Gov. Katie Hobbs (a Democrat). And according to MSNBC's Steve Benen, Giuliani's legal and financial woes are an ominous sign for her.

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In a MaddowBlog column published in December 21, Benen explains, "If you're new to this story, Lake, in the aftermath of her 2022 defeat, took rhetorical aim at Bill Gates and Steven Richer — two Republican election officials in Maricopa County — accusing them of helping 'rig' the state's gubernatorial race and manipulating ballots. Richer argued soon after that Lake's claims not only hurt his professional life and harmed his reputation, but also, led to death threats against him and his family."

The columnist continues, "Richer sued the failed candidate for defamation. Lake's lawyers asked a judge to throw out the case, describing her conspiracy theories as 'rhetorical hyperbole.' The judge didn't buy it. We don't yet know what the outcome of the defamation case might be, but we now know that the litigation will move forward."

Benen, a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," emphasizes that the "legal dimension to Kari Lake's political efforts hasn't gone well" for the MAGA election denialist — and that there are major parallels between Lake and Giuliani.

"Part of this is relevant because Lake is her party's likely nominee in next year's closely watched U.S. Senate race in the Grand Canyon State, but there's also a broader significance," Benen argues. "As MSNBC's Alex Wagner explained, this Arizona case, coming on the heels of a successful defamation case against Rudy Giuliani, also has 'significant implications for what we as a country allow election deniers to get away with.'"

Steve Benen's full MSNBC column is available at this link.

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