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Rudy Giuliani rejected speculation he may be the next member of former President Donald Trump's inner circle to take a plea deal in the Georgia election interference case.
Trump's ex-attorney Jenna Ellis on Tuesday pleaded guilty in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' case into the former president's alleged attempts at overturning the results of the 2020 election, which he has said was rigged despite a lack of evidence. Ellis' plea deal, which comes after other former Trump attorneys (Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro) also pleaded guilty, fueled speculation that Giuliani could be the next domino to fall.
Willis investigated Trump's phone call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he asked him to "find" enough votes to tilt the election in his favor, as well as an alleged plot to submit a false slate of pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College. Trump and 18 others have been indicted, and Ellis was the fourth co-defendant to take a plea deal. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the case and accused Willis of targeting him for political purposes.
Giuliani advisor Ted Goodman told The Messengerthata guilty plea was not currently on the table Wednesday night, doubling down on Giuliani's loyalty to Trump.
"The only deal the mayor is making is to tell the truth and unfortunately, every single prosecutor in this case is a partisan Democrat focused on their own partisan political ambitions and keeping President Donald Trump out of the White House," Goodman said.
He continued to accuse prosecutors of targeting Trump and Giuliani for political purposes.
"Most level-headed Americans—including ones who don't agree with President Trump or Mayor Giuliani's politics—understand that the highly partisan prosecutors in Georgia are doing great damage to our country and to the very fabric of this nation by continuing to weaponize our criminal justice system in an effort to keep President Trump out of the White House and to take down the people around him," he said.
Newsweek reached out to Giuliani for comment via his online contact form.
Legal experts previously told Newsweek that Giuliani pleading guilty could be a logical next step in the legal process, pointing to his financial troubles, added pressure from Ellis' plea and desire to avoid conviction should he go to trial.
"Now that these dominos are falling, you don't want to be stuck in a trial with Donald Trump as the last defendant," said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
Former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said Giuliani should plead guilty "quickly" if he plans to do so because his cooperation will become less valuable with each subsequent guilty plea.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more