Federal judge slams Rudy Giuliani as ‘outrageous and shameful’ as she holds him in contempt in 2020 election defamation case

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN

(CNN) — Rudy Giuliani has been held in contempt of court for the second time in a week, as the former New York mayor and top Donald Trump lawyer’s fall from grace continues because of the false information he spread after the 2020 election.

District Judge Beryl Howell’s ruling Friday came as Giuliani continues to make false insinuations about two Georgia election workers, long after they won a $150 million defamation verdict against him and he agreed to stop slandering them.

“Mr Giuliani engaged in the worst kind of defamation,” Howell said as she read her verdict, slamming him for continuing to portray himself as a victim in this case and not responding to previous court orders.

“It is outrageous and shameful,” Howell said. “This takes real chutzpah, Mr Giuliani.”

Following the hearing, Giuliani told reporters he believes Howell is “not American” because she had her “opinion written before” the hearing. He then compared her to Soviets and Nazis.

In addition to finding Giuliani in contempt, Howell ordered that within 10 days – Trump’s Inauguration Day – he must swear in a statement sent to the court that he’s reviewed and acknowledges several records showing that there was no fraud in the 2020 election. If he doesn’t do that, he’ll be fined $200 a day.

In late 2023, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, told a jury of the violent threats they received after Giuliani’s lies about the 2020 election and how they ruined their livelihoods.

After that trial, Moss and Freeman complained to Howell that on recent broadcasts of Giuliani’s show, he said people were quadruple-counting ballots and passing hard drives to rig vote-counting machines. Those insinuations were false, and they were among the types of comments Giuliani had agreed not to repeat anymore in a settlement that Howell approved months ago.

Officials and courts have repeatedly concluded there was no conspiracy to change votes against Trump in Georgia in 2020, a state where he closely lost the election to Joe Biden. At one point in his recent broadcasts, Giuliani said: “I’m sorry they’re going to sue me again for saying it but what am I going to do but tell the truth.”

Giuliani arrived at court Friday morning, and by lunchtime was posting on social media attacks against the judge even before his hearing began. He said Howell was “making us wait all day for her inevitable highly prejudiced, usual, biased decision … The hearing is a hypocritical waste of time.”

Over the course of the three-hour hearing, Giuliani and his team took multiple breaks – including at one point sitting in the courtroom without the judge on the bench to pore over paperwork on what assets he still has. He also briefly took the witness stand to verify documents about money he has in accounts and his ability to maintain his $3.5 million Florida condo.

Several times, the former mayor held his head in his hand, spoke directly to the judge or walked out of the room with Howell still on the bench.

Giuliani will also owe what is likely to be several thousands of dollars for their attorneys’ work on this contempt proceeding.

Second contempt finding in a week

Monday, in a separate proceeding in Manhattan’s federal court, Judge Lewis Liman said Giuliani was in contempt for failing to turn over information to Moss and Freeman’s lawyers.

They are preparing for a trial next week over whether Giuliani must relinquish the $3.5 million Palm Beach condo where he says he lives as well as four Yankees World Series championship rings to pay some of his debt.

Liman is still considering whether Giuliani should be held in contempt again for not turning over luxury items he has, like a signed Joe DiMaggio jersey, to Moss and Freeman months ago.

Giuliani, 80, has appeared to be in poor health, and he has said in a recent court filing he is suffering from knee, heart and lung conditions. His spokesman in recent statements has said Giuliani still has his “extraordinary record of public service.”

CNN’s Emily Condon contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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