As a defamation trial brought by former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss advanced late last year, Rudy Giuliani’s attorney largely conceded that his client had gone too far. As part of the defense, however, the lawyer asked jurors to keep the damages to a minimum.
A brutal verdict, the defense attorney said, would be “the end of Mr. Giuliani,” likening an eight-figure award to the “civil equivalent of the death penalty.”
The pitch proved unpersuasive, and the jury awarded the plaintiffs more than $148 million total in damages, but the idea that this might represent “the end” now appears to have been wishful thinking — because the former New York City mayor’s troubles, even now, keep intensifying. As NBC News reported, Giuliani was among the 18 Republicans indicted in Arizona’s fake electors case.
Let’s summarize where things stand.
Giuliani has been indicted in Georgia. A Washington, D.C.-based bar discipline committee has concluded that the Republican should be disbarred. He’s facing a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems.
Giuliani has also faced scrutiny from special counsel Jack Smith’s office, a lawsuit from Hunter Biden, groping allegations raised by Cassidy Hutchinson, a lawsuit from his former lawyers, and a lawsuit from his accountants.
And did I mention that the Republican filed for bankruptcy shortly before Christmas? Because that happened, too.
As for the defamation verdict in the Freeman/Moss case, it was just last week when a federal court denied Giuliani’s motion to appeal the $148 million judgment.
It’s against this backdrop that a grand jury in Arizona managed to make matters even worse for the former mayor.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com