‘Disgraced himself’: Rudy Giuliani disbarred after Hoylman-Sigal’s complaint over role in Capital Riot

BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Donald Trump caught a major break Monday when the Supreme Court ruled that he has “presidential immunity” from criminal prosecution for “official acts” taken during his term in office. The verdict is expected to keep him from facing trial before the November election in his cases for concealing classified documents and election subversion.

However, today, in a blow to Team Trump, comes news that his attorney Rudy Giuliani has just been disbarred in New York State.

Chalk it up to state Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, chairperson of the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee, for having filed a formal grievance three years ago against “America’s Mayor” for his role in the shameful Jan. 6 Capitol Riot, in which Giuliani was a lead cheerleader and instigator.

In a statement, Hoylman-Sigal said, “I am extremely grateful to the Appellate Court for taking this action, which sends a powerful message to attorneys across New York State that they are admitted to the bar not just to practice law, but to uphold it.

“Rudy Giuliani has disgraced himself and the entire legal profession through his attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 election and undermine our nation’s democratic rule of law. It’s fitting that his law license be revoked. The profession of law is a sacred and noble one and there can be no room in the profession for those who seek to undermine it.”

In January 2021, Hoylman-Sigal filed a grievance with New York State’s First Department Appellate Division, formally requesting that Guiliani be disbarred, “based on his participation and role in fomenting a violent insurrectionist attack on the United States Capitol,” as well as his “violation of several provisions of Rule 8.4 of the Rules of Professional Conduct.”

The state senator’s grievance letter said, in part, “On January 6, 2021, Mr. Giuliani appeared before the so-called ‘Save America March’ in Washington, D.C., repeating baseless claims about ‘crooked ballots,’ explicitly telling the crowd that the 2020 presidential election was ‘stolen,’ that President Trump and Vice President Pence were ‘cheated,’ that ‘we’re going to fight to the very end to make sure
[President-Elect Biden’s victory] doesn’t happen,’ and exhorting the crowd to ‘have trial by combat.’

“Shortly after Mr. Giuliani’s speech, and following several other inflammatory speeches, including by President Donald J. Trump, many of the attendees answered the call to arms and marched toward in the U.S. Capitol. Like most Americans, I watched with horror as an angry mob of insurrectionists attacked the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt a joint session of Congress in which lawmakers were fulfilling their constitutional obligation to count and certify the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election. The mob’s siege of the Capitol resulted in at least five deaths, including the killing of a Capitol police officer, along with credible threats of violence levied at elected officials and staff, countless injuries and widespread property damage.

“The attack on our nation’s government at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was the foreseeable culmination of increasingly outrageous lies and disinformation being peddled by Mr. Giuliani and many of his associates. As President Trump’s personal lawyer, Mr. Giuliani has engaged in spreading what the fact-checking service PolitiFact has characterized as ‘a litany of falsehoods and conspiracy theories’ about the accuracy and security of the 2020 presidential election in public appearances and in court proceedings in the months following November 3, 2020. Tragically, it appears to have contributed to bloodshed in furtherance of the overthrow of our federal government.

“At a minimum, he appears to be in violation of several provisions of Rule 8.4 of the Rules of Professional Conduct defining misconduct, including ‘engag[ing] in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;’ ‘engag[ing] in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice,’ and ‘engag[ing] in…other conduct that adversely reflects on [his] fitness as a lawyer.’

“Given the breadth of Mr. Giuliani’s dishonesty and misrepresentation, and the gravity of the consequences it has wrought, the Committee should give serious consideration to the most drastic sanction you are empowered to impose: a recommendation to the Court that Mr. Giuliani be stripped of his license to practice law.”

It took three and a half years, but the Attorney Grievance Committee of the State Supreme Court Appellate Division ultimately agreed with Hoylman-Sigal — and has disbarred Giuliani.