Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York, recently surrendered to authorities in Atlanta following allegations of his involvement in a RICO conspiracy to interfere with the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. On the courthouse steps, Giuliani reiterated his belief in “defending the rights of all Americans”, a sentiment he broadcasted on Twitter as he prepared to head to Georgia to surrender.
According to Above The Law, former US President Donald Trump highly valued Giuliani’s services, but failed to financially compensate for them. Trump did however, show his support by headlining a $100,000 per plate fundraiser for Giuliani’s legal bills. Reports have indicated that this financial tightness resulted in Giuliani facing difficult times securing legal counsel for his case in Georgia.
The New York Times reported that Giuliani was accompanied by attorney John Esposito of the New York firm Aidala Bertuna & Kamins on a private plane. By last night, Giuliani had not secured a local counsel and, according to CNN, was bringing along Bernie Kerik to advise him.
Kerik, despite not being a lawyer, had agreed to provide his services for free to help Giuliani through the first phase of the Georgia prosecution. He was, interestingly, named as “unindicted co-conspirator Individual 5” in the Fulton County indictment.
Despite this, it does seem that Giuliani has made an arrangement for his initial appearance. The New York Times also reported that Atlanta attorney Brian Tevis was set to appear for Giuliani in this initial phase, but had not yet committed to ongoing representation. Giuliani’s set bail on the 13 charges leveled against him is $150,000.
For more details, follow the ongoing developments in this case at Above the Law.