Rudy Giuliani Concedes He Made False Statements in Georgia Elections Case

Former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said he wouldn’t contest the claim by two Georgia election workers who are suing him for defamation that he falsely accused them of manipulating votes in the 2020 presidential election.

In a carefully worded two-page statement filed in federal court on Tuesday night, Giuliani said he “does not contest” that his statements about Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman were “false” and “carry meaning that is defamatory.”

The declaration doesn’t end the lawsuit. Giuliani said in the filing that he “believes he still has legal defenses” in the case, including that “his statements are constitutionally protected statements or opinions.” Giuliani said he would also contest that he owes damages to the two women.

On election night, Moss and Freeman were among the poll workers who tabulated ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Using selectively edited video footage, Giuliani spread a theory that Moss and Freeman removed ballots from suitcases underneath tables. Then-President Donald Trump also pushed the false claims about Moss and Freeman.

Georgia election officials debunked the claim. Security footage showed that counting hadn’t ended for the evening, and that the “suitcases” were standard ballot containers.

In a December 2021 lawsuit, Moss and Freeman said Giuliani tarnished their reputations and caused them to receive a wave of death threats.

Michael J. Gottlieb, a lawyer for Moss and Freeman, said on Wednesday that Giuliani’s stipulation is a breakthrough in the litigation.

“Giuliani’s stipulation concedes what we have always known to be true—Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss honorably performed their civic duties in the 2020 presidential election in full compliance with the law; and the allegations of election fraud he and former President Trump made against them have been false since day one,” said Gottlieb, a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

“While certain issues, including damages, remain to be decided by the court, our clients are pleased with this major milestone in their fight for justice, and look forward to presenting what remains of this case at trial.”

The defamation lawsuit is one of several legal problems faced by Giuliani, a former New York City mayor.

Earlier this month, a District of Columbia-based disciplinary panel recommended Giuliani be disbarred for his “frivolous” efforts on behalf of then-President Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Giuliani is also a target of a continuing criminal investigation into alleged election interference in Georgia. The prosecutor leading that probe, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis,

Write to Jan Wolfe at [email protected]