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As Rudy Giuliani prepares to go on trial for defamation, former Donald Trump fixer Michael Cohen said lawyer Giuliani should have heeded his warning about how dangerous the former president is.
Giuliani, who served as Trump's lawyer during the fallout of Trump's loss in the 2020 election against President Joe Biden, is currently facing a civil case for defaming Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss.
Giuliani publicly accused Freeman and Moss of "committing various acts of election fraud," according to pretrial court documents filed on Tuesday. Those accusations include illegally counting ballots multiple times and hiding illegal ballots in suitcases under tables. The plaintiffs claimed that Giuliani's actions caused "extensive emotional and reputational harm, including as manifested in profane and vile threats."
The court has already found Giuliani liable for defamation—intentional infliction of emotional distress, and conspiracy—in August. Giuliani was given an automatic loss in court because he did not turn over discovery evidence in the case. However, Giuliani claimed in court that he could not access the information needed because it was seized by the FBI in April 2021.
A jury has to determine how much Giuliani will pay in damages, but the plaintiffs are seeking $15.5 to $43 million. He already owes Freeman and Moss over $273,000 in legal fees. Giuliani plans to testify in his defense at the upcoming trial.
Newsweek reached out to Giuliani through his podcast Rudy Giuliani's Common Sense's contact form for comment.
Giuliani is also currently a co-defendant in a criminal case in Georgia, which accuses him, Trump, and 17 others of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Several of Trump's co-defendants in the case have already flipped, accepting plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against Trump.
Following the release of the pretrial court documents in Giuliani's civil trial, Michael Cohen, who is now a critic of Trump, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday: "Sounds like Rudy 'Colludy' Giuliani should have heeded my warnings when I said everything Donald touches dies!"
Newsweek could not reach Cohen for comment.
Cohen is a key witness in Trump's civil case in New York to decide how much the real estate tycoon will pay in damages for inflating the value of his assets to get more favorable business loans for the Trump Organization. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the case.
In a recent interview with Good Morning Britain's North America correspondent Noel Phillips, Cohen said he'd "leave the country" if Trump, who is the GOP front-runner in the 2024 presidential race, is re-elected.
Update 11/17/23 10:58 a.m.: This article was updated to reflect Cohen could not be reached via email.
About the writer
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more