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The downed eagle has landed! REPEAT: The downed eagle has landed.
Presumably that will be Rudy Giuliani’s nickname in prison. Maybe America’s Decrepit Eagle if he’s lucky. And indeed, today, the old geezer managed to get to Atlanta and face charges of participating in a RICO conspiracy to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.
On the courthouse steps, he expressed enthusiasm to “defend the rights of all Americans” before accusing District Attorney Fani Willis of denying Trump the right to counsel by arresting all of his attorneys.
Note that Trump valued Rudy’s services so highly that he failed to pay for them and largely refused to help him with his extensive legal fees. The former president seems to be headliners However, next month there will be a $100,000-a-plate fundraiser for Giuliani’s legal bills at Trump Golf Club in New Jersey. Secure your tickets today!
This financial crisis could be at the root of Giuliani’s alleged difficulties in finding legal counsel to represent him in Georgia. The New York Times reports that the former mayor flew in a private plane with attorney John Esposito of New York law firm Aidala Bertuna & Kamins, who will be his lead counsel on the case. He couldn’t find a local lawyer last night, however, so he took his pal Bernie Kerik along to advise him, according to CNN.
Kerik, who is not an attorney, has agreed to provide pro bono assistance to Giuliani during the first phase of Georgia’s prosecution — including bail negotiations with the Fulton County Attorney’s Office and subsequent handover to local authorities, the sources said.
At first glance, this seems more of a problem strange choice. Kerik, the former New York City Police Commissioner who was pardoned by Donald Trump for various financial crimes, is described in the Fulton County indictment as an “unindicted co-conspirator, Individual 5.”
This strongly suggests that Kerik is a factual witness in this case. And indeed, the consent order, which sets out the terms of his bail, requires Giuiliani “not to communicate in any way, directly or indirectly, about the facts of this case with any person he knows to be a witness in this case.” , except through him or her advice.” Giuliani can hardly claim to have invited his pal to talk about the Yankees when Kerik is there specifically to act as a liaison to the courts.
In any case, Giuliani has now secured a Georgia attorney for his first appearance. The New York Times reports that Atlanta attorney Brian Tevis has agreed to appear for Giuliani during this early stage, but has not committed to representing him going forward.
Giuliani’s bail for the 13 charges against him was set at $150,000.
Liz Dye lives in Baltimore, where she writes about law and politics and appears on the podcast Opening Arguments.
