Rudy Giuliani Admits He Defamed Georgia Election Workers – Rolling Stone

Rudy Giuliani admitted in a court filing Tuesday night that his claims about Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss were false.

The concession came as Giuliani tries to settle a defamation lawsuit from Freeman and Moss, whom he falsely accused of participating in a scheme to rig Georgia’s 2020 presidential election in favor of President Biden. “Defendant Giuliani concedes … that the statements carry meaning that is defamatory,” the filing reads, later noting that he “does not contest” that the “statements were false.”

The filing is full of stipulations, including that the admission was made “solely for the purposes of this litigation” and that it doesn’t preclude Giuliani from arguing that the claims were constitutionally protected speech. He also refuses to acknowledge that the claims caused Freeman and Moss “any damages.”

Freeman and Moss are arguing otherwise. Moss even testified in front of the House Jan. 6 Committee last year about how her life was turned “upside down” after Giuliani pushed the idea that she and Freeman, her mother, lied about a water main breaking in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena so they could clear out other poll workers and doctor the results in Biden’s favor. “I don’t want anyone knowing my name […] I just don’t do nothing anymore, I don’t want to go anywhere. I second guess everything that I do. It’s affected my life in a major way, in every way. All because of lies,” Moss said.

Giuliani also accused the mother-daughter duo of exchanging a USB drive full of votes. Moss told the Jan. 6 Committee that they were simply exchanging a “ginger mint.”

The defamation suit from Freeman and Moss is only a slice of Giuliani’s legal troubles stemming from his 2020 election lies. He’s a target in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ long-running probe into the efforts to meddle in Georgia’s election results and reportedly testified for eight hours in front of federal prosecutors investigating the wider effort to overturn the election results. Last month, a disciplinary panel in Washington, D.C., called for his disbarment.

“Mr. Giuliani’s effort to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election has helped destabilize our democracy,” the panel wrote. “His malicious and meritless claims have done lasting damage and are antagonistic to the oath to ‘support the Constitution of the United States of America’ that he swore when he was admitted to the Bar.” 

Rudy Giuliani admitted in a court filing Tuesday night that his claims about Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss were false.

The concession came as Giuliani tries to settle a defamation lawsuit from Freeman and Moss, whom he falsely accused of participating in a scheme to rig Georgia’s 2020 presidential election in favor of President Biden. “Defendant Giuliani concedes … that the statements carry meaning that is defamatory,” the filing reads, later noting that he “does not contest” that the “statements were false.”

The filing is full of stipulations, including that the admission was made “solely for the purposes of this litigation” and that it doesn’t preclude Giuliani from arguing that the claims were constitutionally protected speech. He also refuses to acknowledge that the claims caused Freeman and Moss “any damages.”

Freeman and Moss are arguing otherwise. Moss even testified in front of the House Jan. 6 Committee last year about how her life was turned “upside down” after Giuliani pushed the idea that she and Freeman, her mother, lied about a water main breaking in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena so they could clear out other poll workers and doctor the results in Biden’s favor. “I don’t want anyone knowing my name […] I just don’t do nothing anymore, I don’t want to go anywhere. I second guess everything that I do. It’s affected my life in a major way, in every way. All because of lies,” Moss said.

Giuliani also accused the mother-daughter duo of exchanging a USB drive full of votes. Moss told the Jan. 6 Committee that they were simply exchanging a “ginger mint.”

The defamation suit from Freeman and Moss is only a slice of Giuliani’s legal troubles stemming from his 2020 election lies. He’s a target in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ long-running probe into the efforts to meddle in Georgia’s election results and reportedly testified for eight hours in front of federal prosecutors investigating the wider effort to overturn the election results. Last month, a disciplinary panel in Washington, D.C., called for his disbarment.

“Mr. Giuliani’s effort to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election has helped destabilize our democracy,” the panel wrote. “His malicious and meritless claims have done lasting damage and are antagonistic to the oath to ‘support the Constitution of the United States of America’ that he swore when he was admitted to the Bar.”